FIAP and FactCheckAfrica Convene Abuja Training to Equip Young Advocates to Advance Women’s Electoral Participation
Abuja, Nigeria | 18 August 2026
The Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP), through its implementing partner FactCheckAfrica, has commenced a three-day capacity-building workshop in Abuja aimed at strengthening the ability of young advocates and digital communicators to design and lead social media campaigns that promote women’s electoral participation and challenge the digital barriers limiting women’s engagement in Nigeria’s democratic processes.
The training, taking place from 18–20 August 2026 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, is being implemented under the activity “Support to social media advocacy campaigns led by youth and focused on women” and brings together young advocates, content creators and civil society actors to develop practical campaigns capable of amplifying women’s voices and participation ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The Abuja workshop forms part of a broader intervention designed to position young people as active advocates for women’s electoral participation, while equipping them with the tools to navigate the increasingly complex digital environment in which electoral conversations take place. The programme places particular emphasis on the intersection of gender, youth, digital communication, electoral participation, disinformation, and online safety.
Over three intensive days, participants will develop practical skills in campaign design, feminist messaging, audience mapping, platform-native content production, content-calendar development, coalition building and campaign measurement. The training also addresses the safety challenges that increasingly accompany public-facing advocacy, including online harassment, gendered disinformation, doxxing and other forms of digital intimidation that can discourage women and their allies from participating in political discourse.
Speaking on the initiative, Abideen Olasupo, Founder of FactCheckAfrica, said:
“Women’s political participation cannot be strengthened by simply asking women to enter spaces that were not designed to protect or amplify their voices. We must also address the information environment, the narratives and the digital risks that shape how women are perceived and whether they feel safe participating. By equipping young advocates with practical campaign, communication and safety skills, this programme gives them the tools to challenge harmful narratives and create digital spaces where women’s political voices can be heard.”
The Abuja workshop also places strong emphasis on women-centred advocacy, ensuring that women are not merely discussed as beneficiaries of electoral participation but are positioned at the centre of campaign narratives and civic conversations. Through youth-led campaigns, participants will be encouraged to challenge stereotypes, amplify women’s experiences and promote more inclusive narratives around political leadership and participation.
Upon completion of the training, participants will be expected to deploy their campaign plans through their respective digital networks. The initiative also seeks to foster a sustained community of young advocates who can collaborate across regions, share resources and collectively respond to emerging narratives that undermine women’s political participation.
The Abuja workshop forms part of ‘support to social media advocacy campaigns led by youth and focused on women’ under the EPSG framework. It builds on the broader objective of strengthening youth participation, democratic resilience and inclusive political engagement through targeted advocacy and digital communication.
The activity is organised by the Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP) in collaboration with FactCheckAfrica, under the framework of the EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project.
The Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP) is the Spanish Cooperation institution specialised in promoting the participation of public administrations in international cooperation programmes. FIAP mobilises public sector expertise to strengthen public institutions, democratic governance and sustainable development through peer-to-peer cooperation.
The EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project is a multi-donor initiative designed to strengthen peace, democratic governance and regional stability within ECOWAS Member States. The project is jointly financed by the European Union (EU), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (MOFA), and co implemented by Co-implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Expertise France, and the Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP)For media enquiries: Email: factcheckelections@gmail.com Telephone: +2347068775529
Website: https://factcheckafrica.net
