BONews Service and DNN Media have been selected to receive specialised technical and technological support under the European Union (EU) Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project, aimed at strengthening election fact-checking and countering disinformation.
The support, coordinated by the Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP) in collaboration with FactCheckAfrica, will enhance BONews Service’s technical capacity to combat hate speech, disinformation, fraud, and election-related violence ahead of Nigeria’s forthcoming electoral cycle.
According to the notification from the organisers, BONews Service emerged successful following a rigorous and competitive evaluation of applications from across Nigeria.
The selection was based on the organisation’s ‘outstanding track record in verification, mature platform functionality, strong organisational governance, and clearly articulated technical priorities.’
The initiative forms part of the broader EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance Project, which seeks to strengthen democratic governance, electoral integrity, and resilience against political instability across West Africa.
As part of the programme, BONews Service will receive tailored technical support to improve its digital infrastructure, website performance, cybersecurity, accessibility, and verification workflows. The support will also include advanced training on digital investigations, artificial intelligence applications for fact-checking, deepfake detection, and other emerging verification technologies.
The programme will further facilitate integration with collaborative verification systems designed to improve the monitoring and verification of election-related information across the region.
Reacting to the selection, Blessing Oladunjoye, Publisher of BONews Service, described it as an important milestone in the organisation’s commitment to promoting credible and inclusive journalism.
“This recognition affirms the work BONews Service has consistently done to promote accurate, inclusive, and public interest journalism. As Nigeria prepares for another electoral cycle, access to verified information will be critical in safeguarding democratic participation, particularly for women and persons with disabilities who are often targeted by misinformation.
“This support will strengthen our capacity to provide timely and evidence-based election information to the public,” she added.
She also noted that the technical support will further strengthen the organisation’s efforts to deliver accurate, accessible, and trustworthy election information, contributing to electoral integrity and informed civic participation in Nigeria.
