Information minister-designate commends MFWA’s efforts in combating misinformation ahead of 2024 elections

The Minister for Information-designate, Fatimatu Abubakar, has commended the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) for its involvement in promoting the reduction of misinformation and disinformation in a public forum.

The Ministry of Information has taken the lead in bringing together stakeholders in Ghana’s media landscape to draft a National Action Plan, a blueprint for combating misinformation and disinformation at its roots.

Speaking at a forum on countering misinformation and propaganda narratives in the 2024 elections, she stated that the Ministry of Information’s Media Literacy Programs and the National Action Plan on Misinformation as measures have been taken to ensure the reduction of the menace, especially in this election period.

"The enactment of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), is a pivotal measure in addressing misinformation in Ghana because it has the potential to significantly diminish the spread of inaccurate content,” she said.

She noted that Ghana’s media literacy program aims to educate the public on critical thinking, source evaluation, and verification, empowering individuals to discern reliable information from falsehoods.

Fatimatu Abubakar assured participants of the Ministry’s support for the media and called on all to ensure a media space free of misinformation.

She stated that fact-checking is critical in combating misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda, and the government should invest in independent fact-checking organizations to verify assertions made during election campaigns.