Digify Africa and Meta Launch Free Chatbot to Promote Safer Internet Use

A new WhatsApp-based learning tool is empowering Africans with the skills to navigate the digital world securely and responsibly.

Addressing Africa’s Digital Safety Gap

As mobile adoption accelerates across Africa, internet access has surged, unlocking opportunities but also heightening risks around privacy, misinformation, and online safety. To help communities build resilience, Digify Africa, in partnership with Meta, has launched the Kitso Learning Chatbot (also called Gitzo).

The free, mobile-first platform delivers digital literacy and online safety education directly via WhatsApp, Africa’s most widely used messaging app. By leveraging an accessible tool that works on basic smartphones, Kitso eliminates the need for laptops or costly devices, making digital education more inclusive.

Learning Made Interactive

Kitso’s approach combines convenience with engagement. Learners interact with the chatbot through conversational lessons, quizzes, badges, and certificates, while leaderboards encourage friendly competition. The goal is not only to raise awareness but also to embed safe online practices in everyday behavior.

Modules cover a range of pressing digital issues:

• Protecting personal information and managing online identity

• Identifying and countering misinformation

• Building positive and respectful online communities

• Using digital tools for education and social impact

Early Success and Growing Impact

Since its launch, Kitso has recorded 67,000 learners, who have collectively completed more than 650,000 learning topics and exchanged over 57 million messages with the platform. With a 46% course completion rate, the program is proving highly effective at keeping users engaged, a challenge for many online learning initiatives.

Teachers, parents, and students are among the key beneficiaries, accessing the chatbot both individually and in classroom environments.

Scaling for the Future

Although still in its early phases, Kitso has already demonstrated significant traction. By combining accessibility (through WhatsApp), interactivity, and scalability, the platform has the potential to reach millions more learners across the continent.

Ultimately, Digify Africa and Meta see Kitso as more than just a chatbot. It is a digital citizenship initiative, designed to empower Africans to engage online safely, critically, and responsibly, while closing persistent gaps in digital literacy.