AFP Nigeria

Public distrust hampers Africa fight against coronavirus misinformation

Published on 26 March 2020 at 13:56Updated on 27 March 2020 at 14:55

African nations face a formidable foe in their fight against the novel coronavirus: misinformation fuelled by a deep distrust of government. AFP fact checkers report how this hampers the sharing of accurate information about the outbreak.

Nigerian TV screenshot of '472 confirmed cases' refers to Lassa fever ⁠— not COVID-19

Published on 25 March 2020 at 18:12

A screenshot of a Nigerian television station showing a breakdown of "472 confirmed cases" has been shared on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp alongside claims it shows novel coronavirus cases across the country. But the image is being shared out of context: It shows figures for Lassa fever, not coronavirus.

An old photo of Buhari from before the pandemic was doctored to add face masks

Published on 25 March 2020 at 17:25

A photo circulating on Facebook in Nigeria appears to show President Muhammadu Buhari shaking hands with the nation’s Code of Conduct Bureau Chairman Mohammed Isa while both men are wearing face masks — a seeming flouting of precautions during the novel coronavirus pandemic. This is not what happened. The image was doctored using an old photo, taken long before the pandemic.

Viral WhatsApp voice note in Nigeria makes misleading claims about COVID-19 fatalities projections

Published on 24 March 2020 at 15:15

A viral WhatsApp voice note in Nigeria claims that the coronavirus could kill up to 45 million Nigerians. This is misleading, as data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) shows. The message makes several other false claims, which we debunk here.

There is no evidence to support the claim that Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo tested positive for the novel coronavirus

Published on 20 March 2020 at 15:49Updated on 23 March 2020 at 14:21

A story that has been shared thousands of times in social media posts claims Ghana’s president and a senior minister had tested positive for COVID-19. But the claim is false; there is no evidence to support the allegation and Ghana’s information minister has dismissed it.

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