The National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) has held a one-day sensitization forum on misinformation and disinformation for the Civic Education Club at West Africa Senior High School (WASS) in Madina, Accra.

The event, which is scheduled to take place across Senior High Schools in February 2025, is a post-election civic education initiative aimed at combating misinformation and disinformation, particularly on social media.

It was organized in collaboration with the French Embassy in Ghana and is intended to raise awareness among students about the negative effects of misinformation and disinformation.

In her opening remarks on the purpose of the gathering, the La Nkwantanang Madina Municipal Director of the National Commission on Civic Education, Mrs. Doris Agyeman, said the NCCE believes in the philosophy of ‘catch them young’ and imbibing in the children the virtues of not detecting and rejecting misinformation.

She advised the students to verify information sources at all times before passing them on to their friends and families.

She admonished them to refrain from circulating sensational information hurriedly without knowing the source.

According to her, though the recent general elections were over, the potential and reality of using social media to achieve sinister intentions were high, adding that there was a need to mitigate the effects to forestall any harm intended.

The Municipal Director urged the public to confirm the source of any information they receive to ascertain the truth before consumption.

The Greater Accra Regional Director for NCCE, Mr Frederick Mawuli Agbenu, stressed that there was a need to nip the canker of misinformation and disinformation in the bud to prevent it from undermining institutions in the country.

The youth, he said could be swayed negatively by misinformation and disinformation to pursue the agenda of extremists or terrorists because they are daring, gullible, and inquisitive.

Mr. Agbenu emphasized the importance of double-checking the source of information they receive before sharing, adding that even if it is true, it should be information that would promote unity and development.

He urged students not to be gullible, adding that they should take whatever they are told with a pinch of salt to ensure that they consume only factual information that has been cross-checked.

Two students interviewed after the event, Master Quaison Elikplim and Ama Amponsa Henrietta, intimated that the scales have been taken off their eyes, adding that they can now act with confidence in managing information.