The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition, comprising Fact Check Ghana (a project of the Media Foundation for West Africa), Dubawa Ghana (a project of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development), and GhanaFact (an initiative of FactSpace West Africa), has launched a media situation room to monitor, flag, and counter election-related misinformation and disinformation ahead of Ghana’s 2024 general elections.
On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, the Election Media Situation, situated in Accra and Tamale, officially began operations following a brief opening ceremony held at the Media Foundation for West Africa’s (MFWA) head office in Accra. The event brought together stakeholders in Ghana’s fact-checking ecosystem, the media, and funding partners to inaugurate the collaborative initiative.
The media situation room aims to ensure that information disseminated to the public before, during, and after the 2024 elections is accurate and free from misinformation and disinformation. It will serve as a platform for the coalition to collaboratively monitor and verify election-related information. Monitoring activities will take place from December 4 to December 11, 2024, leveraging the combined expertise and resources of the coalition.
This initiative, funded by the U.S. Embassy, Google News Initiative, ECOWAS, and the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), involves 30 trained media monitors nationwide, 20 regional fact-checkers providing real-time updates, and collaboration with over 100 media outlets broadcasting verified reports in 45 local languages. Advanced AI-based tools, such as the UK-based Full Fact’s platform, are integrated to track content across radio, TV, and online platforms. Additionally, the Tamale hub focuses on producing fact-checked content in languages widely spoken in Ghana’s northern regions.
In attendance were MFWA’s Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah; NMC Executive Secretary, George Sarpong; Peace Council representative, Seth Amegadzi; CODEO representative, Sharon Willis Brown Ampah; GIBA President, Sunkwa Mills; the U.S. Embassy Press Attaché to Ghana, Mathew Asada.
