Application Deadline
Application Deadline: 10 April 2026.
Introduction
Applications are now open for the Code for Africa (CfA) Fellowships, through its African Fact-checking Alliance (AFCA), is offering stipend-based fellowships to journalists and fact-checkers in Southern Africa. The fellowship seeks to equip participants with the skills and tools to investigate, debunk misinformation and disinformation and strengthen information integrity in the region.
This fellowship is part of the “Strengthening Information Integrity and Democratic Resilience in Southern Africa” project, which is a continuation and expansion of the “Detecting, Disrupting and Deplatforming Malign Actors” project, supported by Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Building on the impact of the 2024–2025 phase, this new phase (2026–2027) aims to further strengthen information integrity and democratic resilience across the region. The focus countries include: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Requirements
Candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Must not work for any paramilitary or security organisation and must be non-partisan.
- Must be established journalists or digital storytellers with at least one year of media experience and a portfolio of published work.
- Preferred experience in fact-checking.
- Must be affiliated with a media partner and publish or broadcast their work in mainstream media.
- Must be fluent in English and/or French, depending on the official language of their country.
- Must have access to a reliable computer with stable internet connectivity to participate in programme activities and online courses/mentoring.
- Must be based in one of the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- Must commit to publishing/disseminating work on an appropriate public platform. CfA will assist with partnerships/syndications where appropriate.
- Must commit to sharing new skills and knowledge within their organisation, by sharing projects and techniques with peers.
- Must be available for virtual meetings.
Benefits
- Under this programme, CfA will award six stipend-based fellowships to innovative journalists and fact-checkers for a period of six months. The fellows will be expected to produce fact-checking articles highlighting the harmful misinformation and disinformation in Southern Africa.
- Fellows will receive editorial training and mentoring from CfA’s, and AFCA teams. They will also be expected to share these skills within their organisations and newsrooms.
- Fellows will receive hands-on technical training and one-on-one mentorship from PesaCheck’s fact-checking team, iLAB investigative analysts, and CfA’s staff, including technologists, data analysts, multimedia producers, and editors. They will also receive support to enhance existing CheckDesks or launch flagship CheckDesks within their newsrooms.
- Publishing Support: Fellows will publish their projects on their media platforms and receive assistance in publishing internationally.
Grant Atlas