Ghana’s Deputy Electoral Commissioner, in charge of Finance and Administration, Ms Georgina Opoku-Amankwaa, has commended the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) for its electoral campaigns language monitoring project during Ghana’s 2012 elections.
Ms Opoku-Amankwaa made the commendation during a workshop organised by the Electoral Commission (EC) for the media, Civil Society Organisations, faith-based organisations, among others on August 1, 2015. The workshop, which was funded by the European Union, was meant to sensitise the stakeholders on Ghana’s upcoming District Level Elections.
In a story filed by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the Deputy Commissioner also appealed to the media to only report on issues, which are truthful and could be substantiated, as falsehood could spark conflicts in the country.
The MFWA implemented an election campaign language monitoring project which monitored, and named and shamed politicians that used indecent campaign language in the media during the 2012 presidential and parliamentary campaigns. Media houses which allowed politicians to use their platforms to promote hate speech were also named and shamed.
The project was highly praised as one that contributed significantly to reduce tension that could have arisen from the use of hate speech and other violence-inducing language during the electioneering process.
