Mr Jeffrey Adda, the Builsa North Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), says the Commission’s campaign against misinformation and disinformation is critical to safeguard Ghana’s democratic process.
He said misinformation and disinformation had become global challenges with far-reaching consequences for democracies, “In Ghana, the stakes are particularly high as the nation prepares for its upcoming elections.”
Mr Adda said this at the second phase of the Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) meeting on peace, tolerance and countering violent extremists and vigilantism at the District levels.
The IPDC is a buffer zone in the Municipality to tide the unnecessary suspicions and anxiety among political parties, and aimed to undertake peace building consultative meetings, and work with other stakeholders to avert violent extremism, promote peaceful coexistence and national cohesion.
The meeting, held in Sandema, the Municipal capital, brought together relevant institutions and political parties in the Municipality, as part of the European Union (EU) sponsored programme on Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) Action in the Northern Regions of Ghana.
Mr Adda noted that, “Misinformation often spread unintentionally, and disinformation deliberately crafted to deceive, can sway voter perceptions, distort political debates, and ultimately undermine the integrity of the electoral process.”
He said social media had emerged as one of the central areas through which voters got information but was also identified to be a perfect platform or bleeding ground for fake news and conspiracy narratives.
“Social media platforms and the many online platforms have presented voters with the challenge of encountering an enormous amount of information online, including false information,” the Director said.
He said as Ghana geared up for the upcoming elections, the Commission’s campaign to promote media literacy, critical thinking and responsible information sharing, aimed to foster a well-informed public, capable of making sound electoral choices based on facts and not falsehoods.
He said even though Ghanaians continued to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law, free, vibrant and liberalized media landscape and the promotion of democracy in general, the country could not afford to lose guard in this year’s crucial election.
He said any setbacks or challenges to democracy in the upcoming election could have negative ripple effects, potentially embolden anti-democratic forces in the sub-region and the African continent.
“It therefore becomes critical for actions to be undertaken to address the rising threat of violent extremism that poses a significant threat to the stability and security of Ghana.
“It is in the light of that, the NCCE is organizing this IPDC phase two meetings on peace, tolerance and countering violent extremism and vigilantism in the Builsa North Municipality,” he said.
Mr Adda said since the return of the country to Constitutional rule, Ghana had chalked an impressive record of success and unprecedented enjoyment of uninterrupted stable democratic rule.
“As a result, Ghana has been internationally acclaimed as one of the beacons of democratic governance not only in West Africa, but also on the African continent as a whole,” the Director added.
He said the NCCE would work closely with religious bodies and communities to create public awareness on values of mutual trust, tolerance, confidence building, negotiation, mediation, dialogue, reconciliation, with emphasis on indigenous mechanisms for peace building.
Mr Adda acknowledged the tremendous support from the EU to the Commission over the years, and the current programme with the IPDC on violent extremism and radicalism to guard against violent extremists before, during and after the general elections.
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