Africa Check
Nigeria’s youth unemployment rate at 53.4%? Cryptocurrency firm goes wrong
29th January 2024 In January 2024, cryptocurrency company Pioneers shared a list of youth unemployment rates in different countries on X, the social media platform... →
Fact-checking the ANC’s January 8th claims about progress – and what the party said in response
24th January 2024 The city of Mbombela in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province was the location for this year’s African National Congress (ANC) January 8th statement.... →
Fact checked: Five claims from Kenyan president’s 2023 state of the nation address
30th November 2023 On 9 November 2023, Kenyan president William Ruto delivered his state of the nation address in parliament. Seeking to show progress amid a gloomy... →
Verifying Kenyan president Ruto’s claims on health insurance, teacher shortages and more
23rd November 2023 On 20 October 2023, Kenya marked Mashujaa Day, Kiswahili for Heroes Day, in Kericho, 260 kilometres northwest of the capital Nairobi. In his... →
‘Nigerian boys’ caught with stolen $1.6-million at Gaza-Egypt border? No, photos of cybercrime suspects arrested in India
17th November 2023 The border between Gaza and Egypt has largely been closed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, there’s no news of the incident, and the photos... →
Does Kenya have one of the highest suicide rates in Africa? What the data says
15th November 2023 In October 2023 several cases of suicide were reported in the media in Kenya. A police officer shot himself in his car; a woman jumped off an... →
US ambassador to Kenya Margaret 'Meg' Whitman ‘loves to muck around with data’ – but do her numbers pass the accuracy test?
30th October 2023 Kenyan president William Ruto has been courting US businesses to invest in his country. In September 2023, he met with business leaders at the... →
Kenya president William Ruto misses mark in claiming country’s annual food import bill is KSh500-billion
20th October 2023 With a restive population worried about soaring food prices in Kenya, president William Ruto hopes that increased food production will bring down... →
Kenyan president William Ruto right – nearly 60% of country’s tax revenue goes to repaying debt
12th October 2023 Kenyan president William Ruto's election campaign, which saw him come to power in September 2022, was critical of the country's borrowing from... →
Has telecoms share of Nigerian GDP doubled in 8 years? Regulator's celebratory claims fact-checked
11th October 2023 To mark his eight years in office, Prof Umar Danbatta, the head of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), shared some impressive statistics... →
Declining unemployment figures in South Africa are good news, but context, as always, matters
29th September 2023 With national elections approaching in 2024, South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), is keen to promote its record. It... →
Part 2: More claims from the ANC’s #2019ANCManifestoReview rally fact-checked
26th September 2023 As South Africa moves towards national elections in 2024, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is asking the public to take a hard look at... →
#ACS23: Verifying Kenyan president William Ruto’s claims at Africa’s first climate summit
21st September 2023 Kenyan president William Ruto hosted the Africa Climate Summit in the capital Nairobi in September, the first of its kind in the region. Despite... →
#2019ANCManifestoReview: Fact-checking the ruling party’s claims about progress in South Africa
14th September 2023 The African National Congress (ANC) has launched what it calls a “historic” review of the promises made in its 2019 election manifesto, as South... →
Kenya vs South Africa? Fact-checking claims about the two countries’ contrasting economic paths
7th September 2023 “Everything keeps going right for Kenya as it consolidates its powerhouse status,” reads the headline of an opinion piece published in the Daily... →
South Africa ‘beats climate goal’ through loadshedding? Why this viral claim misleads
29th August 2023 South Africans are all too familiar with loadshedding – planned power cuts when electricity demand exceeds supply. Data shows that the country has... →
#NationalConvention2024: Fact-checking opposition claims about crime, jobs and voting in South Africa
28th August 2023 With elections looming in 2024, South Africa’s opposition parties are in talks to form a power-sharing coalition. The initiative includes the... →
Does Nigeria have world’s highest unemployment rate? Several newspapers quote unreliable social media source
25th August 2023 In August 2023, several Nigerian newspapers reported that the country had the highest unemployment rate in the world. “Nigeria tops global... →
Is poverty on the decline in South Africa? We fact-checked Cyril Ramaphosa's ANC claims
25th August 2023 With 2024 elections looming, South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) is gearing up to campaign. In July 2023, the party met to... →
Fact-checked: Three misleading claims in viral video about proposed changes to South Africa's basic education laws
16th August 2023 There has been mixed public reaction to South Africa’s proposed new Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (or Bela bill). According to basic... →
Prices 15 times higher in Senegal than Nigeria? Daily newspaper misquotes Lagos deputy governor – who also got his facts wrong
8th August 2023 A national newspaper in Nigeria recently carried a striking headline about inflation. “Video: My Senegalese friend said prices of things in... →
ELECTION CHECK: Three claims about president George Weah’s record on reducing poverty in Liberia
19th July 2023 With Liberian president George Weah hoping to win a second term, his administration has been keen to highlight what he's achieved in the first.... →
Yes, Kenyan president right that salaries and wages take up 46% of revenue, but made a common statistical error
17th July 2023 Kenya is grappling with the headache of balancing its books, weighed down by public debt on one side and a high wage bill on the other. Speaking... →
Kenya at 60: Fact-checking six claims by president William Ruto, including on election results and jobs
3rd July 2023 Kenya’s president William Ruto recently took advantage of a national holiday to make a number of claims about the economy and society. The country... →
Does the Western Cape province account for 98% of all new employment in South Africa? Why the DA’s jobs claim is misleading (and outdated)
29th June 2023 The Democratic Alliance (DA) is South Africa’s largest opposition party. In recent press releases, social media posts, and interviews, the party... →
Checking the BBC's claims about Buhari’s poor economic legacy in Nigeria – and new president Tinubu’s headache
9th June 2023 Muhammadu Buhari's eight-year term as Nigeria's president ended on 29 May 2023 when Bola Tinubu was sworn in as the country's new president. In... →
Kenyan president William Ruto sparred with journalists over his policies. Did he get his facts right?
1st June 2023 Kenya’s new government is under pressure to deliver on its pre-election promises amid an economic crisis. Rising food prices, a weakening currency... →
Putting old claims to bed: no evidence undocumented immigrants ‘contribute massively’ to crime and ‘nothing’ to South Africa’s economy
4th May 2023 Many immigrants in South Africa are anxious. The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), which allows Zimbabweans to live and work in the country under... →
Kenyatta’s debt legacy: Reviewing two claims about Kenya’s borrowing under former president
21st April 2023 Kenya’s high national debt has dominated headlines in recent months, with one proposed solution being to borrow from Peter to pay Paul, or taking... →
Has unemployment in Nigeria risen fourfold since 2015? On the trail of a cabinet minister's claim
19th April 2023 Nigerian daily newspaper the Nation reported on sobering national unemployment figures in end-March 2023, attributing them to the country’s labour... →
Are there 15-million child workers in Nigeria? Senior government official cites 22-year-old data – figure likely higher
13th April 2023 There are 15-million child workers in Nigeria, according to the headline of a March 2023 article in the Vanguard newspaper. The article quoted the... →
‘Saving face’ and the subsidy that disappeared: Fact-checking Kenyan deputy president Gachagua's media claims
27th March 2023 Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua gave a media interview on 12 March 2023 in which he addressed concerns about media freedom, the cost of... →
South Africa’s #NationalShutdown: Beware misleading visuals circulating on social media
22nd March 2023 On 20 March 2023, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), South Africa’s second-largest opposition party, took to the streets for what it has termed a... →
Kenya's public debt and revenue: How the data almost tripped up a leading African publication
17th March 2023 Kenya's troubled economy continues to dominate public debate as the country considers its way out of the crisis. In March 2023, one regional... →
Debating the state of the nation: South African MPs' claims about crime, education, service delivery and more scrutinised
7th March 2023 In February 2023 South African parliamentarians debated the president’s state of the nation address (Sona). In response to president Cyril... →
A third of Kenya’s budget stolen? We checked former senator’s claim about much-travelled corruption statistic
1st March 2023 Kenyan president William Ruto has stepped up his government's campaign to increase tax revenues as he attempts to wean the country off expensive... →
Federal legislator misleads about the law and Nigerian politician’s campaign cash
24th February 2023 Nigerians are facing a crippling cash shortage caused by the central bank’s introduction of new redesigned naira notes. And lawmakers are turning... →
600 000 homeless people on the streets of Johannesburg and Pretoria? Why this claim is flawed
22nd February 2023 At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, as governments worldwide scrambled to provide shelter for people on the streets, South Africa’s Gauteng... →
‘A time of crisis’: fact-checking South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2023 state of the nation address
13th February 2023 President Cyril Ramaphosa’s seventh state of the nation address eventually took off, having been bogged down by numerous points of order from the... →
2022 Sona promises: South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa zero for two on state utilities Eskom and Transnet
9th February 2023 South African president Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his annual state of the nation address (Sona) on 9 February 2023. Themed #LeaveNoOneBehind,... →
‘Fraudulent and misleading’: why pricey herbal mix touted as a remedy for HIV falls flat
6th February 2023 “We would like to share with the world about the discovery of the HIV cure”, begins a lengthy post on Facebook by the Neem Foundation, a... →
