Do you want to strengthen information integrity in the SADC region?
Code for Africa (CfA) is offering four sentinel fellowships to frontline grassroots researchers and journalists with expertise in social media listening and analysis and a strong understanding of cross-platform coordination and messaging on platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, and X (formerly Twitter).
The six-month, part-time fellowships are part of a joint initiative between CfA and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen information integrity by detecting, disrupting, and deplatforming malign actors in the SADC region.
The fellowship aims to protect inclusive democracy and human rights in the digital age. It leverages digital technologies to strengthen democracy with an emphasis on climate-related narratives, foreign information manipulation and interference, the 2026 South African municipal elections and xenophobia in the following countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Madagascar, South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania.
What fellows will do
Successful applicants will work with CfA’s forensic investigations team, iLAB, to provide information that will guide the creation of early warning alerts for information manipulation. The Media Sentinels will provide information on coordinated inauthentic behaviour (CIB) and other information manipulation and interference (IMI) behaviour within their countries.
A team of international experts from iLAB will train and mentor fellows to analyse data from an ongoing threat-actor mapping that partner organisations have developed as part of the project.
Fellowship package
The programme will run for six months and will include:
- Stipend: Fellows will receive a competitive monthly stipend depending on their influence as macro or nano influencers and experience in similar previous projects.
- Training and mentoring: CfA will provide advanced training and mentoring in traditional and social media monitoring.
Are you eligible?
The fellowships will enable individuals to use their social media and analytics skills in conjunction with CfA’s watchlists and lexicons, to proactive pre-group, interpret and communicate early warning signals for early detection of toxic online content.
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- You must be non-partisan, without any link to government agencies, paramilitary organisations, political parties, state-affiliated media, or other bodies that might create the perception of partisanship in either national or local politics.
- You must be fluent in English or French.
- You must have access to a reliable personal laptop or computer with stable internet connectivity to participate in programme activities, online classes, and mentorship sessions.
- You must demonstrate an understanding of using social media platforms such as Facebook, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and X.
- You must be available for weekly one-hour virtual meetings.
The deadline for applications is 03 March 2025.
To apply, complete this form.
Questions? Reach out to mitchelle.awuor@codeforafrica.org or jacktone.momanyi@codeforafrica.org.
About the partners:
Code for Africa is Africa’s largest civic technology and open data incubator. The organisation supports digital democracy and investigative data journalism initiatives to give citizens access to actionable information and amplify citizen voices to make society more responsive and accountable. CfA’s mission is to leverage technology and data to foster digital democracies and empower citizens by providing actionable information.
The African Digital Democracy Observatory (ADDO) is the only continent-wide research coalition focused on understanding how disinformation and influence or information operations are being used to subvert African democracies or watchdog institutions. The initiative is member-driven, consisting of 15 organisations that run substantive Africa-focused analytical research or investigations. Find out more about ADDO’s activities and members here.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway (Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs) is the governmental body responsible for Norway’s foreign policy. It is structured into nine departments and oversees nearly 100 diplomatic missions worldwide, including embassies, permanent delegations, and consulates general. Among its key responsibilities is promoting human rights and democratic principles.
To all recruitment agencies: CfA does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our employment application line, CfA employees or any other CfA contact. CfA is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.
Please note: Due to high volumes of applications, we are unable to respond to each one individually. If you are selected for an interview, we will contact you.