MyJoyOnline journalist Caleb Ahinakwah has been awarded a Fact-Checking Award for his investigation uncovering how Telegram users were being scammed through phishing sites.

The award was presented under the DUBAWA Professor Karikari Fact-Checking and OSINT Fellowship, which attracted more than 40 submissions across its fact-check and OSINT categories.

Caleb Ahinakwah was one of 40 fellows selected from six West African countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal and was trained to use open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools to strengthen digital verification and combat misinformation.

DUBAWA Editor, Nathan Gadugah, praised the quality of work produced during the three-month fellowship, describing it as both demanding and impactful.

“Each day in the fellowship was a great learning curve for the fellows,” he said. “It was also a test of discipline, mastery and excellence… lots of impactful stories were told, covering disinformation in security, health, sports and other issues of interest to Africans.”

A goodwill message delivered on behalf of the Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, Bengt van Loosdrecht, highlighted the crucial role fact-checkers play in strengthening public trust and protecting democratic processes.

“Misinformation, accountability, data — your commitment strengthens public understanding and keeps our democracies moving forward,” he said.

“Please know that you are already winners… Your work carries weight, courage and purpose far beyond this evening.”

Representatives of Luminate also addressed the awards ceremony, reaffirming their support for Africa’s media ecosystem and commending journalists for their role in sustaining democratic stability across the region.

“We cannot tell the story of how we sustained democracy without the important role the media has played,” the statement noted.

“On behalf of Luminate, I congratulate every awardee tonight. I hope you continue the amazing work to sustain the ecosystem and deepen our democracy.”

The awards night, held in Abuja, honoured journalists from across the continent for their contributions to investigative reporting, fact-checking and digital accountability.

This year’s event formed part of the 2025 Media and Development Conference organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID). It was themed “Reimagining Democracy, Development, and Data for the Next Decade.”