A senior reporter with Liberia’s community broadcaster Super Bongese Radio has been selected among 13 journalists from across West Africa for the 2026 Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking and Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Fellowship organized by DUBAWA.
Nukanah Kollie, who reports for the station, emerged from a competitive regional selection process involving applications, interviews, evaluations, and intensive training exercises. Journalists from Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Ghana, and Nigeria were chosen for the fellowship from a shortlist of 25 candidates across the region.
The fellowship, now in its eighth edition, is regarded as one of West Africa’s leading media verification and accountability journalism initiatives. Named after renowned Ghanaian media scholar and press freedom advocate Kwame Karikari, the program aims to strengthen fact-checking, investigative journalism, and digital verification skills among media professionals confronting growing misinformation challenges across Africa.
The training phase of the fellowship began on May 6 and concluded on May 8, bringing together participants for a three-day intensive program focused on fact-checking methodologies, ethical journalism, media literacy, investigative reporting, and digital verification tools. Organizers said fellows also received practical instruction in Open-Source Intelligence techniques used to verify online information, authenticate user-generated content, and trace coordinated disinformation campaigns across digital platforms.
The fellowship itself will run from June 1 to August 31, during which participants are expected to produce fact-checks, conduct OSINT investigations, and participate in mentorship sessions designed to strengthen credible information ecosystems throughout West Africa.
According to DUBAWA, the initiative seeks to improve information integrity in both traditional and digital media spaces as misinformation and manipulated content increasingly threaten democratic governance, public trust, and public health communication across the continent.
Kollie’s selection is being viewed as another milestone for Liberia’s growing community media sector and the increasing participation of young Liberian journalists in regional investigative and accountability reporting initiatives.
At Super Bongese Radio, Kollie has reported extensively on human rights, agriculture, governance, youth empowerment, environmental concerns, and rural development issues affecting communities across Liberia. He has also contributed to local and international media platforms while participating in several investigative journalism and media development training programs.
In 2022, Kollie received the Gender Reporter of the Year Award from the Association of Liberia Community Radios for reporting focused on gender and social justice issues.
He later participated in the 2024 African Investigative Journalism Conference in South Africa through support from the Embassy of Sweden and New Narratives. In 2025, he also attended specialized agriculture and development journalism training in Nairobi aimed at strengthening reporting on climate change, food systems, and rural livelihoods across Africa.
Kollie is additionally a recipient of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and Alltech Young Leaders Award, which recognizes emerging agricultural journalists worldwide.
Media experts say fellowships such as the Kwame Karikari program are becoming increasingly important as journalists across Africa confront sophisticated misinformation networks and the rapid spread of false information online. Organizers noted that beyond technical verification skills, the fellowship promotes ethical journalism and public-interest reporting aimed at protecting vulnerable communities from harmful misinformation.
For Kollie, the fellowship represents an opportunity to deepen investigative reporting skills while contributing to regional efforts promoting transparency, accountability, and credible journalism across West Africa.