As Sierra Leone and Liberia gear up to host elections this year, the iVerify platform has already been proven useful in deciphering true information from false or misleading. The platform is expected, among other aims, to support fair elections by curbing misinformation/disinformation and hate speech, thus protecting the democratic process. The public is encouraged to submit to the iVerify team content in the form of videos, pictures and articles for fact-checking.

In the past, the platform was used by others, including Zambia, Honduras and Kenya, in their election processes and was deemed reliable, trusted and valuable. In the case of Sierra Leone, where 70% of the population relies on radio stations for information, it is expected to be a game changer. The groundwork has already been laid in Liberia, as a team of 15 fact checkers was dispersed to all 15 counties before the October elections.

The iVerify platform is a result of a collaboration involving local media groups -Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) and Local Voices Liberia network of Journalists -and the UNDP, the UN Peacebuilding Fund, the European Commission, the BBC Media Action, Ireland, Canada and Iceland. Journalists have reported that although some security concerns are involved in operating the platform, the pros far outweigh the cons.