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The Internet4Good project seeks to engage and train media practitioners to responsibly report and set agenda on internet use among young Africans – especially in light of sensational reportage about “African internet scammers”. Young people are at the forefront of internet adoption in Africa. According to Research ICT Africa, African youth between ages 15 and 24 have shown increased mobile phone ownership in recent years. While exposure to information and communication technologies (ICTs) has improved learning, communication and innovation, it has also increased the risk of perpetuating or falling victim to internet scams. The most popular of these scams is Advance Fee Fraud, in which perpetrators convince an individual that they would receive a huge sum of money if they pay a certain amount of money in advance.
Western media platforms like ABC, Vice, BBC, VoA have carried stories on young internet scammers especially from West Africa, which have contributed in shaping a negative international image. In the past decade, this rise of negative reporting around internet scams in Africa has fostered a moral panic around internet use and, in some cases, deprived young Africans from ethical internet-related opportunities.