This panel brings together experts on the African continent to discuss various methods to combat the spread of COVID-19 disinformation, misinformation and state-sponsored propaganda while preserving digital rights. Presenting examples from the Global South, they will discuss how to counter ‘problems such as Fake News’ and the ‘5G theory’ and present inclusive options for contact-tracing apps and data mining.

How is Africa responding to the threat of Covid-19? Is it realistic for African countries to go on lockdown – or is social distancing an impossible ask? What has been learnt from the responses to past epidemics, particularly Ebola, and what can Africa teach the world through its experiences of public health emergencies? And what are opportunities for all of us, Africans and Europeans, in comparing and combining our approaches to Covid-19?