MFWA, DUBAWA and Ghana Fact establish Ghana Fact-checking Coalition ahead of December elections

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Dubawa, FactSpace West Africa and other civil society organisations working on information hygiene, integrity and resilience in Ghana have formed the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition.

The Coalition has been convened ahead of Ghana’s 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections to mount a joint, collaborative and coordinated effort to mitigate the menacing threat misinformation and disinformation pose to the country’s peace, stability and democratic consolidation. 

The 2024 Global Risk Report identified misinformation and disinformation as the key critical risks anticipated to unfold in numerous countries across the world over the next two years. The report emphasised that the spread of misinformation and disinformation, especially during elections, could significantly disrupt the genuine and perceived legitimacy of newly elected governments, potentially leading to political turmoil, violence, terrorism, and a gradual deterioration of democratic procedures in the long run.

Activities and processes around the 2024 general elections in Ghana have so far generated enormous false and polarising narratives that can influence the peaceful outcomes of the polls.

The Coalition is, therefore, harnessing the capacities, strength and resources of the members while leveraging their credibility to produce timely, relevant and well-researched fact-check reports during the periods of the 2024 elections.

The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition primarily comprises Ghana’s three main fact-checking organisations that are signatories with the International Fact-checking Network: Fact-Check Ghana (Media Foundation for West Africa), Dubawa Ghana (Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development) and Ghana Fact (FactSpace West Africa). The Coalition is also working with many prominent civil society organisations including Africa Check, Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Penplusbyte, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and Digital Africa Research Lab.

From December 4-11, 2024, the Ghana Fact-checking Coalition will run Media Situation Rooms in Accra and Tamale dedicated to spotting and debunking misinformation disinformation and other harmful narratives related to the elections that may emerge on both online and offline platforms across the country.

The Coalition is also working with about 50 journalists and over 100 media houses across the country who broadcast or publish in about 45 Ghanaian languages. These journalists and media houses will serve as partners who will republish reports produced by the Media Situation Room and as well verify information about the election activities in their regions and communities.

“We are excited to kick off this coalition after many months of discussions. This is the best time for us to come together and collaborate to push back against mis/disinformation and polarising narratives that portend danger for Ghana’s democracy. We are hoping our collective work can contribute to a peaceful and credible election,” said Kwaku Krobea Asante, Lead Fact-checker and Senior Programme Officer at the MFWA.

“Creating a united front among fact-checkers, the media and civil society groups like this is one of the best ways to counter the threats from disinformation purveyors and people with malign interests who want to use information to disrupt the credibility of Ghana’s election and democracy. We are happy this has come off,” said Rabiu Alhassan, Director of FactSpace West Africa.

“Having participated and witnessed such coalitions across West Africa, we are very delighted that we have been able to come together for this coalition. We are looking forward to making a positive impact on the elections,” said Roselena Ahiable, Programme Manager of Dubawa.

The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition has been convened with funding support from the US Embassy in Ghana and Google News Initiative. UK-based Full Fact has also provided access to its Full Fact AI platform to assist members of the Coalition to monitor and counter disinformation.