African businesses and institutions have been urged to elevate information integrity from a communications concern to a board-level governance priority as the continent experiences a sharp rise in misinformation and disinformation campaigns that threaten corporate reputations, investor confidence, and business continuity.
The call was made in a thought leadership paper titled “The Trust Dividend: Why Information Integrity is Now a Board-Level Priority for Every Organization Operating in Africa,” published by public relations and advisory firm Bloomwit Africa.
According to the report, Africa’s rapidly evolving information landscape has become increasingly vulnerable to coordinated disinformation campaigns, making it imperative for organisations to strengthen their resilience against reputational threats.
Citing research by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, the report noted that documented disinformation campaigns targeting African information systems have increased nearly fourfold since 2022, with at least 189 identified campaigns between 2024 and 2026. The authors added that the actual number is likely to be significantly higher.
The report also highlighted the growing influence of social media across the continent, noting that more than 400 million Africans now rely on digital platforms as primary sources of news and information. Countries such as Nigeria and Kenya rank among the world’s highest in daily social media usage, while users also express growing concern over the spread of false information, much of which circulates through private messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.
Bloomwit Africa warned that advances in generative artificial intelligence have further lowered the barriers to creating and distributing deceptive content, including manipulated images, fabricated graphics, and deepfake videos, with recent African elections already demonstrating the impact of AI-generated misinformation.
The report argues that misinformation is no longer solely a political issue but a significant business risk capable of influencing markets, investment decisions, consumer confidence, and corporate reputation. It cited incidents in South Africa, where coordinated online campaigns contributed to xenophobic violence that disrupted businesses, as well as the spread of false narratives affecting public health debates across the continent.
According to the advisory firm, organisations operating in low-trust environments face what it describes as a “credibility tax,” where legitimate corporate communications are viewed with increased scepticism because audiences struggle to distinguish verified information from fabricated content.
However, the report identifies what it calls the “Trust Dividend” as a strategic opportunity for organisations that proactively invest in information integrity. It argues that trust has become one of the most valuable competitive assets for businesses, influencing customer decisions alongside price and product quality.
To strengthen resilience, Bloomwit Africa recommends that organisations proactively identify reputational vulnerabilities, invest in continuous monitoring of the information environment, build trust through transparent communication before crises occur, respond to misinformation with verified facts, and adopt strategies tailored to local market realities rather than relying on generic global approaches.
The report concludes that information integrity should now be treated with the same strategic importance as cybersecurity and financial risk management, warning that organisations that fail to prepare for Africa’s increasingly contested information environment risk significant reputational and operational consequences.
Bloomwit Africa said organisations that invest in building trust before a crisis occurs will be better positioned to protect their reputations, maintain stakeholder confidence, and create long-term value in an increasingly complex digital environment.
Bloomwit Africa is an independent public relations and advisory firm focused on supporting organisations across Africa, including providing advisory services on digital communications, reputation management, and misinformation resilience.
