Communication staff of government institutions are sharpening their skills on how to better inform Cameroonians on government actions via digital platforms which have emerged as information and news channels to over 5 million Cameroonians.

A four-day capacity building seminar to this effect organised by ANTIC has convened close to 50 participants drawn from government ministries and parastatals who are being drilled on digital communication techniques that would allow them to anticipate and counteract the effects of "fake news," detect false information, images, and videos created by malicious individuals for propaganda campaigns on social media.

Speaking at the seminar today, ANTIC’s Director General Prof. Ebot Ebot Enaw entreated participants to use the digital skills being acquired to guarantee the effective presence of government institutions online, provide insights on government actions as well as real-time disclaimers to false information in a bid to ensure better visibility and effectiveness of public policies.

The training workshop is taking place at a time when Fake news, or disinformation, which is a deliberate attempt to mislead people, often with sensational, false, or misleading information has become a national concern as it undermines trust in the State and its institutions, misleads public opinion, threatens public order and national security.

This disturbing trend which is gaining a foothold in Cameroon has been attributed to factors such as such as the instantaneous nature of digital communications, supposed anonymity offered by the Internet, low level of subscriber identification and the absence or low online presence of high-ranking officials and institutions.

In an effort to redress the situation,  ANTIC in 2023 alone, detected and closed down 843 fake accounts thanks to productive collaboration with social media platforms. The fake acounts which were used by malicious individuals to propagate fake news and carry out online scams were created by usurping the idientities of high-profile government officials.

In a similar vein, ANTIC has since 2018, verified eighty-six  social media accounts of public administrations and high-ranking state officials in a bid to help distinguish real accounts from fake accounts. This initiative does not only protect the identity of public officials online but eaqually gives credibility to their accounts and assures followers that the information and content shared by such accounts is legitimate.