Inspiring Conversations with Ruhamah Ifere of Trully Verify Africa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruhamah Ifere.

Hi Ruhamah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Ruhamah Ifere. I am a Gender Equality Activist, Peacebuilder, project manager and Founder, Trully Verify Africa.

I have a long-standing interest in civic tech, peacebuilding, and democratic innovation, with particular focus on disinformation, gender equality, and inclusive governance. My work has spanned program design, cross-African collaborations, advocacy, and organizational leadership leveraging technology and partnerships to build stronger, more informed communities.

I am the Founder and Executive Director of Trully Verify Africa, where I lead initiatives equipping young people with digital and civic tools to counter disinformation. Through partnerships with organizations like Peace First, I have coordinated a Pan-African workshop involving youths from Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon, and Kenya, connecting them to seed grants and digital storytelling skills. I also co-designed the Co-creating Antibodies to Fake News workshop in collaboration with the International Press Center, directly addressing misinformation challenges in Nigeria.

In addition, I lead The Youth Evolve and the Sexual Offences Watch Observers Project (SOWO). These platforms have allowed me to deliver advocacy programs in schools and communities, manage multi-stakeholder partnerships, and implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks. I have also overseen fundraising, donor compliance, and budget oversight, while building sustainable strategies that support long-term impact.

My expertise has been recognized through awards from the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), 2024 ONE PERSON HONOUREE, Top 40 Tech Innovator by EUYSB, JCI(Junior Chamber International ) Nigeria Ambassador, 25 Females in Peacebuilding by Galaxy Peace. I regularly consult and collaborate with peacebuilding networks, gender equality advocates, and civic innovators across Africa.

In addition to my leadership roles, I am a Correspondent with Your Commonwealth, where I analyze pressing issues like Civic Tech and Youth participation , gender inequality and disinformation, further extending my voice and insights into global civic conversations. I am also an active Rotaract leader, and served as the 38th President of the Rotaract Club of Isolo, where I honed my skills in team leadership, community impact, and cross-sector collaboration.

I Ghostwrite Thought Leadership for Policy & Social Impact Leaders.

I am open to opportunities in:

🔹 Peacebuilding & Conflict Resolution
🔹 Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI)
🔹 Civic Tech & Digital Literacy Innovation
✨ Ghostwriting and Thought Leadership Support
🔹 Policy Analysis and Program Management

Connect with me at ruhamahifere@yahoo.com

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Challenges vary per time with regards to the projects being executed, the ideas that is being birthed and the community to be impacted.

Most obstacles also stem from ignorance and low awareness of issues and one way I overcome this is with superior knowledge.

A good example is Advocacy on Gender based Violence. Through our #Rethinkinggenderviolence campaign, I invited behaviourial and attitudinal changes in the minds of young people and demystified Gender based violence through Advocacy walks, workshops, online campaigns.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Trully Verify Africa?
Trully Verify Africa is a social enterprise that empowers youths with critical media information literacy skills to combat disinformation propaganda.

We are building a civic tech platform that helps youths and women detect and counter disinformation through fact checking tools and media literacy at scale.

Ruhamah Ifere is a tech innovator, peacebuilder, and human rights advocate advancing youth-led solutions at the intersection of technology, governance, and inclusive economic development across Africa. I am the Founder and Executive Director of Trully Verify Africa, where she equips young people with digital and media literacy skills to counter disinformation and strengthen informed civic and economic participation. I also leads the Sexual Offences Watch Observers (SOWO) Project, impacting over 5,000 young people through advocacy against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. A YALI alumna and CPLP-certified leader, Ruhamah champions accountable governance, youth empowerment, and sustainable development.

What matters most to you? Why?
I am passionate about Gender Equality, Peacebuilding and youth participation in civic processes.

Through Trully Verify Africa, our core pillars focuses on advocating for the rights of women and girls, inclusion of youths in Peacebuilding and civic processes.

The Gender Equality Pillar: Sexual Offences Watch Observers Project (SOWO), Ruhamah has catalyzed behavioral shifts, empowering over 5000 youths to boldly confront and denounce sexual gender-based violence, igniting the transformative hashtag #Rethinkinggenderbasedviolence.

Civic Tech: By working with journalists, researchers, and youth advocates, I have fostered partnerships that have been instrumental in scaling our efforts to combat disinformation. My collaboration with the *International Press Center (IPC)* led to the successful implementation of a workshop that trained journalists and youth Civic Actors on ethical reporting and fact-checking. This initiative not only strengthened our ties with the media but also expanded our reach, enabling us to influence how disinformation is addressed in public discourse.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruhamah_ifere
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruhamah-ifere-ll-b-cplp-acarb-b8a843151