In a short interview with Dr. Roméo SAA Ngouana, sociologist and senior researcher, he gave us a sneak peek into the highlights of a pre-report on disinformation trends.

Based on your analysis, what do the key findings of this pre-report reveal?

The study shows that electoral disinformation in Cameroon is structured, multifaceted and constantly evolving. It combines factual, narrative and emotional manipulations, exploiting identity fractures, distrust of institutions, and the viral nature of social media. Driven by ideological, opportunistic, or partisan actors, disinformation seeks to influence opinion, delegitimize opponents, and weaken trust in democracy. Its adaptability makes regulation difficult, posing major threats to information integrity, electoral transparency and national stability.

Among the challenges highlighted, which one do you believe poses the greatest threat to social cohesion and public trust and why?

The greatest risk is post-electoral violence fueled by tribal divisions. Disinformation deepens social and ethnic fractures, feeding fears of exclusion and domination. This can spark crises, as seen after the 2018 elections. Reports such as the International Crisis Group’s August 2025 alert highlight these risks. Growing distrust in electoral institutions may further delegitimize results, a concern echoed in Archbishop Samuel Kleda’s August 2025 pastoral letter.

How can the insights from this pre-report be translated into concrete policy changes or actions that will directly impact citizens’ daily lives?

Citizens’ lives can be improved if authorities: Prioritize media and information literacy in public policy. Support research on disinformation mechanisms. Promote tools enabling users to detect and fight disinformation. Establish systems to evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts.

What role should researchers, journalists, and civil society play in ensuring that these findings do not remain on paper but lead to real transformation?

Journalists should systematically integrate fact-checking into election coverage, form ethical reporting consortiums, and promote tolerance, pluralism, and human rights. Civil society must continue raising awareness, create civic education programs for youth and vulnerable groups, and develop community-based digital monitoring initiatives, particularly in rural areas.

Finally, can you run us through the challenges you faced in the build-up to this pre-report?

The main challenges were balancing facts from different political sides while maintaining neutrality, limited access to platform data due to confidentiality policies, and difficulties tracing certain social media content. With the support of Adisi-Cameroon’s team, these obstacles were overcome.

Interview realised by Desmond MBUA (Internal contribution)