Fake news will grow in influence in West Africa

Significance

Meta (formerly Facebook) has publicly identified both Russian and French involvement in regional disinformation efforts. However, West Africa's 'influence industry' comprises domestic and international actors that increasingly shape key political and developmental narratives across the region.

Impacts

• Governments will see increased pressure to enact and enforce data protection laws.
• Social media companies will be forced to provide better content moderation in more of the region's languages.
• Growing investment in internet infrastructure will reduce the costs of accessing internet content in the medium-term.