By Joseph Nana Yaw Cobbina
This deliberate on the issue of mis/disinformation, which has become one of the most serious threats to elections integrity, democratic development, and the peace and security of nations around the world.
While the proliferation of mis/disinformation has become a global problem, the situation is getting increasingly alarming in Africa.
The scope of deliberate efforts to distort the information ecosystem in Africa is witnessing an alarming increase.
Speaking at the public forum on countering mis/disinformation, and propaganda narrative in the 2024 elections in Ghana, the executive director of Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, reiterated to the fact that the recent publication by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies revealed that in 2023 alone, there were 189 documented disinformation campaign in Africa.
According to him, the figure is said to be almost four times the recorded incidents in 2022.
He observed that what makes the situation more alarming for us in Ghana is that, west Africa has become the epicenter of disinformation campaigns.
According to the report by Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, in 2023, while there were 15 documented campaigns targeting North Africa; 33 in East Africa; 21 in Southern Africa; and 21 central Africa; there were as many as 72 campaigns that targeted 13 West Africa countries. The number for West Africa represents almost 40% of all the campaigns that targeted Africa.
In 2023, at least seven disinformation campaigns targeting Ghana were documented. The situation will certainly get worse in the lead up to the December 2024 elections. This is because, across the continent and indeed, around the world, elections are seen to provide fertile grounds for disinformation campaigns.
Mr Sulemana Braimah stated that there are several factors that make the battle against disinformation a difficult one to win, especially in the Africa context.
The rampant increasing of social media polarised and partisan traditional media that is faced with sustainability challenges.
“So we face a challenging situation ahead of this year’s elections. If the situation is not tackled robustly, the consequences can be dire. This is because across the world and on the continent, disinformation campaigns have been used to instigate deadly violence, intimidation and cow civic voices, prop‐up and validate military coups, and delegitimise democratic governance” he emphasised.
Meanwhile the GJA president Albert Dwumfour said the peace the country enjoy whether in an election year or non-election year, must at all times be jealously protected and sustained.
This is why the MFWA needs to be commended for being proactive in promoting peaceful and issue-based elections through this critical and vital forum.
The GJA which is the umbrella body of journalists in this country hereby affirms its commitment to peace before, during and after the election.
” Let me state that the GJA has already initiated steps to ensure peaceful elections through several workshops and fora” he lamented.
Certainly, with the support of US Embassy, we’re training journalists through a project dubbed ” GJA/US Embassy workshop on journalists for peaceful discourse”. The projective of the project focuses on promoting violent free and credible elections in Ghana in 2024 through well-informed and trained journalists who use best practices for fact-based and non partisan election reporting.
The GJA will soon embarked on fact‐checking workshop and training across the country to tackle mis/disinformation to promote peaceful elections, this would include all stakeholders.
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