Online Reporter
Zimpapers Writer
In a major stride for climate justice and information integrity on the African continent, Magamba Network proudly announced the launch of UKWELI, a groundbreaking African-led resource designed to confront the accelerating threat of climate disinformation.
Launched on December 10th via a virtual webinar, UKWELI—meaning “truth” in Swahili—is a dynamic, practical toolbox built for frontline communicators, journalists, community leaders, and policymakers across Africa.
It aims to equip them with the essential skills to combat the “torrent of deliberate lies” about climate change that, as the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) warns, is “accelerating the crisis, turning it into a catastrophe.”
The need for a resource like UKWELI is urgent.
According to Magamba Network’s research, climate falsehoods are not merely “noise,” but an organized and financed “weapon,” pushed by powerful entities including fossil fuel interests, Big Tech, political actors, and foreign lobbyists. These falsehoods are designed to stall climate action, distort public debate, and undermine the rights and resilience of African communities.
“Our African information ecosystem is being polluted by the same people polluting our air, our lands and our rivers,” stated Samm Farai Monro, Magamba Network Creative Director.
“UKWELI gives us the tools to fight back against these disinformation strategies… so that we leapfrog to a people-powered, clean energy future”
The launch follows a critical moment at the recently held COP30, where Information Integrity finally took centre stage. Governments acknowledged that the fight against climate disinformation is now inseparable from the fight for climate justice.
This recognition was cemented by the landmark Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change, signed by over fifteen countries, committing to protect the public sphere from climate-related lies.
Magamba’s own “Log Off the Lies” campaign, launched in October 2025, has already exposed coordinated networks of climate falsehoods spreading across the continent, making UKWELI a critical next step in defending truth.
UKWELI is not a static report, but a user-ready guide grounded in Indigenous knowledge and lived African experiences, reflecting the continent’s unique information landscape. It was created for Africa, by Africans, shaped by climate researchers, storytellers, technologists, and grassroots communities.
