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On 19 and 20 May 2026, the 9th Interreligious Dialogue Colloquium was held in Abidjan, jointly organised by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), the Centre de Recherche Politique d’Abidjan (CRPA) and the Embassy of Israel in Côte d’Ivoire. Under the theme “Religion and Disinformation”, the event provided a platform for reflection and exchange on one of the major challenges facing contemporary societies: the growing spread of false information and its impact on social cohesion, political stability and peaceful coexistence.
As in previous years, the colloquium had a regional dimension. Held simultaneously in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Benin and Togo, it connected participants across the four countries through live exchanges, allowing them to share experiences and discuss common challenges faced by religious communities across the region.
Bringing together religious leaders, academics, communication experts, diplomats and representatives of public institutions, the colloquium highlighted the challenges that disinformation poses to West African societies. Discussions underscored how the speed at which content spreads across social media facilitates the circulation of rumors and manipulated information, weakening trust between citizens, institutions and communities.
The three panels on the first day examined the religious and ethical foundations for countering disinformation, the position of religious actors in today’s information environment, and their role in prevention and response efforts. Participants emphasized that religious leaders, as trusted voices and key sources of information within their communities, have a particular responsibility in promoting media literacy, critical thinking and reliable information.
The second day was dedicated to group work and thematic workshops focusing on the impact of disinformation on religious and social institutions, the adaptation of religious actors to digital communication spaces and strategies to combat false information. Participants stressed the need to strengthen the digital skills of religious leaders and to develop monitoring and verification mechanisms capable of rapidly identifying misleading content and responding effectively. In an environment where disinformation spreads at great speed, timely responses are essential to limiting its impact on communities.
Through this initiative, KAS reaffirms its commitment to interreligious dialogue, mutual understanding and social cohesion across West Africa. Together with its partners, it looks forward to building on this success and celebrating the 10th edition of this established dialogue format in 2027.