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When it comes to African news and information, misinformation about Africa — half-truths, misrepresentation, and incomplete information—such as telling only your side of the story—are widespread. Some of this comes not just from deliberate deception but also from ignorance. “The dissemination of misinformation through social media and mainstream news outlets is a global one, and Africa has not been spared,” according to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, which discussed the subject in 2017.
Sadly, many Africans themselves, even as we complain that the news isn’t fair, have done very little to push back or set the record straight. The good news today is that a select group of organizations, some of which are highlighted here, are not only addressing this problem but are also actively working to correct the narrative through African stories.
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Get To Know Africa (GTKA)
This corporation functions as a media production powerhouse to challenge negative stereotypes and misconceptions about Africa. It focuses on educating the American public about the African continent’s dynamic leadership and its role in global affairs. It utilizes its educational status, producing high-quality news, stories, short videos, and documentaries that showcase African success and cultural richness.
It created a TV program, “Get To Know Africa,” which amplifies African voices by sharing untold stories of innovation, cultural heritage, and everyday life, which offers a perspective that is often overlooked by mainstream media.
Additionally, it fulfills its mission by interviewing prominent African leaders, including various presidents, and by providing firsthand coverage of major international events such as UN meetings and the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit. This organization documents significant political and economic milestones from an African perspective.
2. AllAfrica Foundation
This foundation aims to support a pan-African vision of informed, connected, and empowered communities by amplifying stories, research, and perspectives from across the African continent. It fulfills its mission through an extensive news network that aggregates and distributes reporting from over 90 African news organizations, in addition to its own correspondents.
Additionally, it elevates the work of activists, innovators, and leaders addressing critical issues such as public health, climate adaptation, food security, and social accountability. With hubs in cities like Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Nairobi, and Washington, DC, the foundation fosters cross-regional collaboration and provides a platform for diverse voices, ideas, and solutions to promote transformative change across Africa.
3. The Africa Society
It is an advocacy organization that aims to strengthen the U.S.-Africa partnership, serving as a premier educational and advocacy bridge between the United States and the African continent. Its mission focuses on fostering mutual understanding by utilizing high-level diplomatic forums, such as its Presidential and Ambassadorial Series, to provide African leaders a direct platform in Washington, D.C.
Furthermore, it also tackles systemic misinformation through its Teach Africa program, which provides schools with the curricula and resources needed to present a more nuanced, modern, and accurate view of the continent’s 54 nations. By blending grassroots education with elite policy engagement, the Society effectively shifts the American narrative from one of crisis to one of partnership and economic potential.
4. KOSINIMA
It’s a non-profit organization that focuses on breaking down the traditional “gatekeeping” of the film industry by supporting Black filmmakers across Africa and the global diaspora. Founded by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Oluwaseun Babalola, the organization aims to empower creators to share unfiltered, authentic stories that explore identity and community.
It achieves this mission through three primary pillars: direct financial support via the Kosinima Short Film Grant (specifically targeting Black women and non-binary creators), localized opportunities like the Mosadi Writes screenwriting grant in Botswana, and their virtual media platform ṢOJU, which uses documentary film and photography to showcase African youth culture to a global audience. In addition, they offer educational interviews, events, webinars, and conferences to teach independent filmmakers about the creative, technical, and business aspects of filmmaking and hosting a podcast.
5. Africa No Filter
It is a donor-funded organization that focuses on shifting harmful, stereotypical narratives about Africa by amplifying more nuanced and contemporary stories. It achieves this mission through a three-pronged strategy: researching how the world perceives the continent to provide evidence-based insights, grant-making to support filmmakers, journalists, and artists through initiatives like the Kekere Storytellers Fund, and advocacy through its own news agency, Bird, which produces content centered on African innovation and creativity. By building an ecosystem of “narrative changemakers,” the organization works to replace outdated frames of poverty and conflict with stories that highlight the continent’s agency, diversity, and economic potential.
6. Next Narrative Africa
This is a multimedia production company and advocacy platform founded by Akunna Cook (former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs). Its primary mission is to shift the global perception of Africa and the Black diaspora by replacing negative stereotypes with authentic, impactful stories that drive economic progress.
The organization achieves this through a strategic, three-pronged approach, including Financial Investment through the Next Narrative Africa Fund, which aims to raise $40–$50 million to provide grants and equity financing for African and diasporan filmmakers focused on socially relevant themes like climate change, gender equity, and democracy. Additionally, it develops its own “narrative-shifting” content, focusing on youth-oriented stories that have the potential for global distribution. It also runs a venture studio to nurture emerging talent and de-risk African intellectual property for the global market. And hosting events like The Bridge to connect African creatives with world leaders, investors, and policymakers.
7. Minority Africa
It is a digital publication and newsroom dedicated to centering the voices of marginalized and underrepresented groups across the African continent. It focuses on shifting the stereotypical narratives perpetuated by the media toward ones that prioritize the lived experiences and agency of minorities. It achieves this through several strategies, such as highlighting how minority Africa are actively responding to their challenges. The platform prioritizes stories on LGBTQ+ rights, religious and ethnic minorities, and women, using data-driven and multimedia storytelling.
Furthermore, through empowering minority journalists through mentorship training and a platform to share community-rooted stories. By partnering with mainstream outlets, it actively works to refine the narrative surrounding minority issues. Through public events and a commitment to ad-free, open-access content, it ensures these vital perspectives remain at the forefront.
8. Africa Check
This is the continent’s first independent, non-partisan fact-checking organization, established in 2012 to promote accuracy in public debate and media. It achieves its mission through a “360-degree” approach: directly debunking claims made by public figures and institutions through rigorous evidence-based reporting; building capacity by training thousands of journalists and citizens in verification techniques; and advocating for transparency by pressuring leaders to issue public corrections when they spread misinformation. By leveraging tools like the Info Finder database and regional offices in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal, the organization ensures that high-quality, verified data is accessible to both policymakers and the public to foster a more informed and democratic society.
9. The African Views
It is a research, media, and development non-profit founded in 2009. Its mission is to promote cultural integrity, harmony, and social development by aligning African indigenous knowledge with global development goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. It achieves this mission through a strategic framework that combines academic research with grassroots community action, including its flagship African Cultural Exchange (ACE) program, which teaches “cultural harmony” to school-age children. Also, the African Royal Kingdoms (ARK) program, which engages traditional African leaders and customary authorities to preserve cultural heritage while driving modern economic investment and “socially responsible” trade.
Additionally, it integrates its collaborative global intelligence framework with large-scale sustainable development; the organization drives progress through both discourse and action. It utilizes multimedia platforms to research and advocate for gender harmony and the Anti-Violence Against Women Act (AVAWA), while simultaneously launching innovative projects like the African Smart City in Ghana to merge modern technology with traditional cultural values for self-reliant urban growth.
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The Africa Narrative
It’s a nonprofit that focuses on reshaping the global understanding of the African continent by strengthening the visibility and legitimacy of African films, media, and culture. Its mission centers on advancing African cultural “soft power” by ensuring African stories are documented, accessible, and valued internationally. Rather than only publishing content, the organization works at the level of cultural infrastructure: it conducts research, produces knowledge platforms, and builds partnerships that influence how policymakers, investors, and global audiences perceive Africa’s creative economy.
To achieve this, the Africa Narrative runs projects that expand public knowledge and participation in documenting African culture. Its flagship initiative, the AfroCreatives WikiProject + Film, trains contributors to improve Wikipedia coverage of African cinema, directly affecting how the world learns about African culture online. It also organizes edit-a-thons, workshops, and fellowship-style programs that develop research and media documentation skills while creating authoritative cultural archives.
11. Aperian
It’s a cross-cultural consulting and training firm that specializes in building cultural agility for global organizations. While it is a commercial entity rather than a non-profit advocacy group, its mission is to bridge boundaries through a deeper understanding of ourselves and others, directly targeting the dismantling of stereotypes to improve international collaboration.
It advances cross-cultural understanding through its GlobeSmart® platform, which offers researched cultural guides for over 100 countries to replace stereotypes with practical insights on communication, values, and business etiquette. It actively reframes harmful narratives about Africa by challenging common myths and presenting African markets as diverse and economically viable partners. It also uses assessment tools and an Inclusive Behaviors Inventory to help individuals recognize their own cultural biases. Additionally, it delivers expert-led training and coaching often facilitated by people from the cultures discussed to provide authentic perspectives and reduce reliance on one-dimensional portrayals.
