2024 election: Consequences of mis/disinformation and propaganda narratives can be dire if not tackled robustly – Sulemana Braimah warns

Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah has stressed the need for mis/disinformation and propaganda narratives to be addressed ahead of the 2024 General Election.

According to him, there will be dire consequences if these issues are not robustly tackled.

“While the proliferation of mis/disinformation has become a global problem, the situation is getting increasingly alarming in Africa…What makes the situation more alarming for us in Ghana is that West Africa has become the epicentre of disinformation campaigns.

“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, intimidate and cow civic voices, prop-up and validate military coups, and delegitimise democratic governance,” Sulemana Braimah warned on Wednesday, March 27.

The Executive Director of MFWA was speaking at a public forum on Countering Mis/Disinformation and Propaganda Narratives in the 2024 General Election.

The forum was organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa in partnership with the National Peace Council and the National Commission for Civic Education.

In his address at the forum, Sulemana Bramiah argued that Ghana is fertile for mis/disinformation and propaganda narratives ahead of the December 7 polls because it has a very polarised political environment, has a highly polarised and partisan traditional media that is faced with sustainability challenges, as well as thousands of educated young people who are unemployed.

He said his caution is not to cause a scare or to portray a hopeless situation but is only sounding the alarm bells to draw the country’s attention to the fact that the nation has a critical task ahead which must be dutifully and effectively discharged to protect our democracy, preserve our peace, secure our stability and promote our prosperity.

“We are here because we know there is a problem. And we are here because we know that collectively we can brainstorm, build synergy and act together to dismantle any disinformation campaigns that will be targeted at disrupting our upcoming elections, no matter the source,” Sulemana Braimah said.

Speaking as chairman of the forum, Board Chair of the National Peace Council, Dr. Ernest Adu Gyamfi stressed that countering mis/disinformation and propaganda narratives ahead of the 2024 election is very important for the cohesion and prosperity of Ghana.

He noted that to protect the country’s democracy, there is a need to tackle the spread of false information and manipulative narratives heading into the December 7 polls.

He said although there is cause for concern, the issues can be addressed through collaborative efforts between governments, CSOs, and tech companies.

“Let’s Unite to promote our democracy. It’s the only way we can ensure the 2024 election results will be a true reflection of the people,” Dr. Ernest Adu Gyamfi appealed.

The Public Forum on Countering Mis/disinformation and Propaganda Narratives in the 2024 Elections was attended by about 150 participants including representatives from the National Peace Council and NCCE, governance and media experts, legal experts, CSOs, public and state institutions, journalists and human rights experts.

The public forum was organised with funding support from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), UK.