Africa Check
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... →
‘Nothing under this government’: fact-checking five claims about record of Nigeria’s governing APC party
3rd February 2023 With just three weeks left until Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has sought to gut the record... →
‘Almost double the world average’? Debunking government claims about water use in South Africa
26th January 2023 As South Africa enters its 16th year of the rolling power outages known as loadshedding, some provinces also face an unreliable water supply. Over... →
Influencer makes misleading claims about presidential candidates’ promises to vote-rich northern Nigeria
23rd January 2023 Just over a month before Nigeria's critical February 2023 general elections, campaigners are pulling out all the stops to sell their candidates.... →
Fact-checking Kenyan president Ruto’s first roundtable with journalists
18th January 2023 For the first time since he was elected, Kenyan president William Ruto invited members of the media to a discussion at State House, his official... →
Oil, money, guns – fact-checking Nigerian presidential hopefuls’ claims on town hall TV series The Candidates
14th December 2022 Campaigns are in full gear as Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election comes steadily into view. The presidential election – and elections for the... →
Nigeria presidential candidate misses mark with claim about country’s ‘illegal’ 2023 budget
8th November 2022 Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari tabled his last budget in October 2022. He will step down after elections in February 2023. At N20.5 trillion... →
Overstaffing and billions in salaries? Fact-checking viral claims about South Africa’s power utility Eskom
4th November 2022 South Africa’s State-owned power utility Eskom is never far from public attention due to debilitating countrywide electricity blackouts that began... →
Nigeria’s ruling party not solely responsible for rail development, as its presidential candidate claims
3rd November 2022 The sole credit for developing Nigeria’s railway system goes to the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), claims Bola Tinubu, the party’s... →
60% of South African consumers debt free? Popular Twitter account mangles study findings
1st November 2022 According to a September 2022 tweet from Africa Facts Zone, 60% of South African consumers were living debt free in 2021. Given unemployment in... →
Liberia peacekeeping ‘largest operation in Africa in the history of the UN’? Fact-checking prominent economist’s claims
11th October 2022 Four years after United Nations (UN) peacekeepers officially left Liberia in 2018, debate still continues in the country over the legacy of the... →
