East Africa reinforces communications to combat online extremism
Date: 2026-01-29
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
Stakeholders
from East Africa convened in Kuwait City this week to address the growing use
of digital platforms by terrorist groups to spread extremist ideologies,
recruit followers, and undermine public trust in government institutions.
The
event, organized by the East Africa Capacity-Building Working Group (EA WG) and
co-chaired by Kenya and Kuwait, focused on developing localized, evidence-based
strategic communications approaches to prevent and counter violent extremism
conducive to terrorism (P/CVE) online.
The
in-person activity included presentations and panel discussions aimed at
enhancing regional capacity to monitor virtual spaces, report harmful content,
discredit terrorist propaganda, and utilize sentiment analysis tools.
Participants, including government communications experts and representatives
from GCTF member countries, shared best practices, built institutional and
technical capabilities, and explored collaborative approaches for integrated
national action plans on P/CVE.
The
EA WG emphasized that strengthening strategic communications online is
essential to addressing the digital threat landscape in East Africa. Kenya and
Kuwait pledged to continue supporting capacity-building initiatives to
safeguard virtual spaces and counter the influence of terrorist messaging
across the region.
