New technology launched to boost community engagement

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A civic media and digital democracy organisation FactCheckAfrica, has launched a suite of Artificial Intelligence-powered civic technology tools aimed at strengthening public accountability, improving civic literacy, and deepening democratic participation ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

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Arewa PUNCH reports that the initiative, known as the Digital Democracy Suite, which was unveiled during a press conference at Oroki Hub, was attended by journalists, civic actors, students, and development partners.

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The suite, developed under FactCheckAfrica’s Digital Democracy Lab initiative, consists of three products KedereAI, GovQuest, and The Power Deck, designed to simplify governance information and make accountability mechanisms more accessible to ordinary Nigerians.

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Speaking at the event, the Project Lead of the Digital Democracy Lab, Lukman Adeoti, said the initiative was created to address growing concerns over weak civic engagement, misinformation, and limited public understanding of governance processes.

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According to him, many Nigerians remain disconnected from democratic participation because governance documents and public finance information are often too technical or inaccessible.

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“Nigeria recently passed an Electoral Act. It is a document of democratic significance, yet the vast majority of citizens have never read it,” he said.

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Adeoti continued, “What we have done is take the Electoral Act and the Constitution, simplify them, and turn them into knowledge that citizens can engage with directly.”

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The Project Lead, who described the Digital Democracy Suite as an effort to transform accountability from an elite-driven process into a citizen-led culture, added, “For too long, accountability has been treated as something that happens to citizens rather than something citizens actively participate in.”

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He explained that KedereAI is an AI-powered accountability platform that allows citizens to track local government allocations, contracts, budgets, and infrastructure projects using publicly available records.

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According to him, the platform currently tracks about N2.8tn in federal allocations across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas while indexing more than 35,000 government contracts and over 18,000 infrastructure projects nationwide.

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“A citizen can ask in plain language how much their local government received from the Federation Account, which contractors were paid for projects, and whether those projects were completed,” he stressed.

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Adeoti added that the platform was designed to function effectively on low-data mobile networks without requiring downloads or expensive devices.

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The second platform, GovQuest, is a gamified civic education tool targeted at young Nigerians.

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The Project Lead highlighted that the platform transforms governance concepts such as vote-buying, constituency projects, budget transparency, the Freedom of Information Act, and citizens’ rights into interactive games and scenario-based learning experiences.

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“Designed for a generation that learns by doing, GovQuest turns democratic participation into something engaging and practical,” he said.

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The third component, The Power Deck, is a 24-card civic flashcard set developed for schools, civic groups, and grassroots workshops to ensure participation is not limited by internet access or smartphone ownership.

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According to Adeoti, each card combines governance concepts with practical civic actions that citizens can immediately take within their communities.

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“From identifying abandoned projects to requesting government records under the FOI Act, the cards convert civic awareness into action,” he pointed out.

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FactCheckAfrica disclosed that the tools were developed through workshops and pilot programmes conducted across Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo states.

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The organisation pointed out that more than 1,000 journalists, students, youth civic actors, and community leaders participated in the co-design and testing process.

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Adeoti disclosed that school and community activation programmes would begin in Osun, Oyo, and Ogun states in the coming weeks to expand awareness and usage of the platforms.

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The project received support from the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund and philanthropic partners, including the Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation.

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The organisation noted that the initiative comes at a time when trillions of naira are allocated annually to local governments across Nigeria, yet many citizens lack the tools needed to track spending or verify project execution.

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“We believe that access to accurate information about governance and public spending is not merely technical. It is a democratic right,” Adeoti lamposted.

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