Strengthening civic engagement in Congo through community-powered news

Localee was founded by Fidelia Okandze, a Congolese entrepreneur who, during the 2024 conflict, struggled to access timely, accurate updates about her home country. Like many in the diaspora, she found herself piecing together news through WhatsApp threads and Facebook posts, informal channels that were often late or unclear.

Driven by this gap, Fidelia built Localee, a digital platform where everyday people share what's happening around them and verify each other's reports. What began as a simple tool for information sharing quickly became a trusted alternative to traditional media. Users have reported on floods, demolitions, and political unrest, often before these stories reach major broadcasters.

Fidelia's vision is rooted in community agency. Localee is not just a news app; it is an ecosystem for civic voice, visibility, and local opportunity.

Why this matters

In cities like Kinshasa and Goma, access to accurate local news remains limited. National media often overlooks these areas, and international reporting is sporadic or delayed. The result is a dangerous information gap: people don't know where it's safe to travel, which areas are affected by disruption, or how local dynamics are shifting.

This gap is more than a media problem; it affects safety, livelihoods, and civic engagement. Without trusted, timely updates, communities face avoidable risks, missed opportunities, and growing disconnection from public life.

Localee responds to this gap by equipping people with the tools to report, validate, and amplify what's happening in their cities. It shifts the power of information into local hands, building trust, connection, and resilience from the ground up.

What the project will change

With Kwanda's support for its go-to-market strategy, Localee will expand its reach in Kinshasa and Goma and also enter Dakar and Nairobi, cities where misinformation, exclusion, and information deserts persist.

Locals will be able to:

• Share verified updates about their surroundings in real-time.

• Participate in post-validation to crowdsource truth.

• Get notified when news breaks nearby, whether it's a protest, a storm, or a local market announcement.

• Earn income when their verified posts contribute to public awareness.

This expansion will bring real benefits: safer navigation of city life, stronger community accountability, and a new form of dignified economic participation through citizen journalism.