Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI) has launched a new AI-powered tool, MyAIFactChecker Whatsapp chatbot to combat misinformation across Africa.
BBYDI’s Communications Director, Sanni Alausa Issa at the press conference held recently with media and stakeholders emphasised the role of civic technology in strengthening democratic resilience.
Issa said: “Misinformation exploits our best instincts. It takes our desire to protect and inform each other and turns it into a weapon.
“Across Nigeria, across Africa, millions of people share false information every day. They trust the friend who sent it. They trust the group where it appeared. They trust that someone, somewhere, verified it before it reached them. But nobody did.
“The result is a crisis hiding in plain sight. False information floods WhatsApp groups and community networks, inciting tension, promoting bias, and misleading voters. It poisons public discourse. It undermines elections. It erodes the very foundation of informed citizenship.
“Today, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative launches an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot that puts the power to verify information directly into your hands. It meets you where you already are. It works on the phone you already own. It requires no special skills, no expensive data, no complicated processes. Just you, your curiosity, and your commitment to truth.
“Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative has long been committed to building media literacy and strengthening civic participation across Nigeria. We watched as misinformation grew more sophisticated, more pervasive, more dangerous. We saw how it distorted public conversations, especially during elections. And we decided to act.
“Our first response was the MyAIFactChecker web platform. It was a solid tool. Users could visit the website, submit claims, and receive verification results. We were proud of it. But pride does not equal impact. And impact requires honesty about what is working and what is not.
So we conducted research. We gathered user feedback. And what we heard changed everything.
“The communities most vulnerable to misinformation were the least able to access our solution. Internet connectivity was unreliable. Data costs were prohibitive. Many people did not own devices capable of browsing websites smoothly. We had built a tool for the problem, but we had not built it for the people.
“We asked ourselves a simple question. Where do the people we want to serve actually spend their time? The answer was obvious. WhatsApp. Over 500 million people across Africa use WhatsApp daily. It is where families coordinate. It is where communities organize. It is where news travels, whether that news is true or false.
“If misinformation spreads through WhatsApp, then verification must live there too. This insight drove our pivot. It is not a replacement for our web platform, but an evolution. A tool designed for accessibility from the ground up. A tool that requires minimal data. A tool that works on basic smartphones. A tool that meets people exactly where they are.
“Building an AI tool is easy. Building one that people can trust with something as important as truth is hard. We began with internal testing in September 2025. Thirty testers submitted over fifty queries in English, Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo. We achieved 85% accuracy with six-second response times. We also identified ten instances where the AI generated unsupported responses. We documented every error, studied it, and fixed it.
“Then we took the tool to the people. In October 2025, fifty participants in Ilorin tested the chatbot across different ages, genders, and literacy levels. Accuracy rose to 90%. Response time improved to four to six seconds. And 95% of users rated the chatbot four or five out of five. Based on the feedback, we enhanced voice recognition for local accents. We simplified translations to feel more conversational and we made source links clickable.
“Finally, we piloted during the 2025 Anambra gubernatorial elections and in the Cameroon election. The chatbot performed when stakes were high and misinformation was circulating actively.
“We built MyAIFactChecker with the conviction that access to truth should not depend on your literacy level, your language, your abilities, or your location. With our voice-to-text functionality, it means you do not need to type to use the tool. Speak your question, and the chatbot understands. This feature proved especially valuable during testing for users with lower literacy levels and persons with disabilities. Your voice is enough.
“We also built this tool with women and marginalized communities in mind. Gendered disinformation is real. Harmful narratives targeting women in politics and civic spaces circulate daily. Women deserve access to safe, verified information. So do young people, rural communities, and anyone who has ever felt excluded from the digital conversation.
“Misinformation is not a Nigerian problem. It is not an African problem. It is a global challenge that threatens democratic participation everywhere. But the solutions do not have to come from elsewhere. Africa can lead. Nigeria can lead. You can lead
“Our vision is to expand MyAIFactChecker across Nigeria and throughout the African continent. Wherever WhatsApp is used, wherever misinformation spreads, we want this tool to be available. We want verification to become as natural as forwarding. We want citizens everywhere to pause, check, and share responsibly.
“The role of civic technology in strengthening democratic resilience has never been more critical. We are proud to be part of that movement. And we invite you to join us. No innovation happens in isolation. This tool exists because of the contributions, trust, and collaboration of many.
“We thank CIVICUS and the Digital Democracy Initiative for their support through the Digital Action Lab. Your belief in the potential of civic technology to strengthen democracy made this work possible.
“We thank the communities in Anambra and Ilorin who opened their doors to us. The participants who tested the tool, shared their feedback, and trusted us with their questions. And the many others whose experiences shaped every improvement we made. You are not just users. You are co-creators.”