The unchecked spread of fake news and misinformation poses a greater threat to global stability than nuclear weapons, Nigerian social and international development expert David Oktapuma warned in an interview with Sputnik Africa at the recent Dialog About Fakes 2.0 forum in Moscow.
"We are at a time where we suffer a lot from misinformation, from information manipulation, from image laundering, from a lot of fakes," said Oktapuma, Chairman of the Board of the Development and Cooperation for Africa (DevCA) initiative.
He underscored the unprecedented volume of information circulating today, emphasizing that without robust mechanisms for verifying and evaluating information, misinformation could become a far more destructive force.
"So, we need to also teach people how to verify information the same way we teach people how to research, the same way we teach people how to use a lot of digital platforms," Oktapuma said, noting that a significant portion of Africa's population remains unconnected to the digital space.
He advocated for greater investment in digital connectivity and initiatives that support and promote the use of local fact-checking platforms to combat the issue, highlighted the potential of platforms like the Dialog about Fakes 2.0 forum as crucial tools in this effort.