The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has called on the African Union (AU) to adopt and operationalise a binding continental framework on information integrity and freedom of expression to strengthen democratic governance across Africa.
The call by our Programme Manager for Institutional Development & MEL, Dr Daniel Kwame Ampofo Adjei, PMP®, on behalf of our Executive Director, Mr Sulemana Braimah, was made at the Afrobarometer Data for Governance Alliance (D4GA) continental convening held in Accra from April 20 to 24, 2026.
Dr. Adjei, noted that although the AU has established important normative frameworks on governance and freedom of expression, there is currently no comprehensive, binding instrument that integrates information integrity and responses to mis/disinformation within a rights-based approach.
He said, “The proposed framework would mandate proactive access to information, protect independent media, and guide member states in addressing disinformation without undermining fundamental freedoms.”
According to Dr. Adjei, the proposed framework should be anchored in existing continental instruments, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa (2019), and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. It should also align with the Malabo Convention to ensure that responses to mis/disinformation uphold data protection, privacy, and digital rights.
The D4GA convening, hosted by Afrobarometer and funded by the European Union, brought together stakeholders from across Africa to reflect on democracy, governance, and human rights, while strengthening the role of data in shaping policy and accountability.
The initiative aims to address key gaps hindering the achievement of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, including limited citizen awareness, inadequate access to citizen-generated data, and challenges in tracking governance commitments under the African Governance Platform.
Key speakers at the event included Afrobarometer co-founder, Prof. E. Gyimah-Boadi, and Ambassador Salah Hammad Mohammed, Head of the African Governance Architecture (AGA) Secretariat.
