The U.S. State Department has acknowledged making an unfortunate error when it used a map that incorrectly labeled countries in Africa at an international conference. The map was shown during an event at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, highlighting six countries on the continent: Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, Malawi, and Cameroon. However, not one of them was correctly identified by lines pointing from the names to the positions on the map.

Map Errors

The map showed coastal Nigeria as landlocked. Mozambique, which is in the southeast of the continent, was shown in the Horn of Africa. Cote d’Ivoire was shown on the wrong side of the continent. A photo of the errant map was shared in a Substack post from AIDS expert Emily Bass. According to an analysis from Reuters, the map contained an artificial intelligence watermark that signals it was made with OpenAI tools.

A State Department spokesperson said that this was an unfortunate error caused by a team member who hastily altered the slide deck immediately before the presentation at the AIDS 2026 Conference. The spokesperson added that the department takes full responsibility for the confusion and misrepresentation it caused for attendees, including African partners.

Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.