A US government map of Africa mislabeled every country at global AIDS conference

A US government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a State Department presentation at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 26, 2026. Reuters viewed a video showing the map displayed during a presentation on new health agreements. The map contained an AI watermark suggesting OpenAI tools. The State Department took full responsibility, saying a team member hastily changed the slide deck. The map showed Nigeria as landlocked in the Sahara, Mozambique in the Horn of Africa, and Ivory Coast on the other side of the continent. Screenshots were shared on LinkedIn, with one post getting 40,000 views. The speaker was Jeff Graham, PEPFAR envoy.

A US government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a State Department presentation at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 26, 2026. Reuters viewed a video of the presentation, which showed the errant map displayed halfway through a talk about the State Department's new health agreements. The map contained an artificial intelligence watermark, indicating it was made with OpenAI tools, and the company said it was investigating. The State Department took full responsibility, saying a team member hastily changed the slide deck before the event. The map showed Nigeria as landlocked in the Sahara Desert, Mozambique relocated to the Horn of Africa, and Ivory Coast placed on the other side of the continent. Screenshots of the map first appeared in a Substack post by AIDS expert Emily Bass and were widely shared on LinkedIn, with one post garnering some 40,000 views. Matt Petit of the Atlantic Council commented that the creator did not know where countries are in Africa. The speaker was Jeff Graham, the top US health envoy overseeing PEPFAR, who did not reply to requests for comment. The State Department said discussions were substantive and constructive despite the map. The article also notes the Trump administration's pause in funding last year and plans to phase out the program in South Africa.