DW Akademie in Côte d'Ivoire

DW Akademie has been active in Côte d'Ivoire since early 2019. Although the violent political crisis in this West African country officially ended in 2011, it has still not been fully addressed. Tensions further increased ahead of the presidential elections in October 2020 and are again increasing ahead of the elections planned for 2025. 

The media sector continues to be polarized and politicized, making independent reporting difficult. Disinformation is also spreading, particularly on social media which is popular among the youth.

The country's population lacks opportunities to freely express opinions, obtain reliable information or check whether reports are trustworthy. In response, DW Akademie and its partners aim to change this.

Our activities

"How can I check media sources?" "What is disinformation?" and "Where does freedom of expression end and hate speech begin?" are among questions being  discussed by participants of workshops on Media and Information Literacy (MIL).

Download our latest evaluation report for Côte d'Ivoire here.

Together with the Centre d'Education pour une Société Durable (Education Center for a Sustainable Society), DW Akademie trains young participants in sharing their newly acquired skills with peers across the country, this way promoting the critical use of the media. Another focus is sensitizing young participants in how to deal with online speech and forms of radicalization.

DW Akademie also supports MIL in other West African countries. The regional project "Connexions EMIL/MIL Connections" brings together motivated young people from Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Ghana and Senegal to share experiences and develop new ideas and solutions which they then test in the participating countries.

In addition, DW Akademie brings together citizens with media representatives and public officials from various regions. For this, a network of female Ivorian journalists and communication experts – Réseau des femmes journalists et des professionelles da la communication de Côte d'Ivoire  (RéFJPCI) – develops public discussion formats, focusing on a multigenerational exchange and the advancement of women.

With their network "Côte d'Ivoire: Et si on en parlait?" (Côte d'Ivoire: Let’s talk about it) more than 100 DW Akademie alumni exchange views on social and political issues, and in regular video conferences and discussion rounds with experts, discuss topics that move young Ivorians.

Funding: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Program Director: Friederike Müller-Jung

Locations: Côte d'Ivoire

Local partners: Centre d'Education pour une Société Durable, Réseau des femmes journalistes et des professionnelles de la communication de Côte d'Ivoire (RéFJPCI) 

Focus: Media and Information Literacy (MIL), Innovation for Dialogue