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Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation Minister Sam George has reiterated the government’s commitment to fighting disinformation.
Even though the government is not averse to criticism, however vociferous, he said the John Mahama-led administration will not allow the growing incidence of misinformation and disinformation to fester and torpedo the country’s fledgling democracy.
He made the comment when the team at DUBAWA, a fact-checking and verification arm of the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID), paid a courtesy call on him on Oct. 14, 2025.
The visit aimed to explore how the fact-checking organisation can collaborate with the government in combating disinformation, which the World Economic Forum has described as one of the biggest global threats.
At a time when democracy is under siege, with many military takeovers, Mr. George believes the country needs to jealously guard its freedoms while still instilling the object of responsibility in public speech.
We are not saying the government should not be criticised, I was one of the biggest critics of the previous government,” he said, adding the criticism must be within the framework of what is responsible and acceptable.
As part of the many strategies to combat disinformation, Mr. George said plans are far advanced to pass a new regulation against misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, and other methods for information disorder.
A draft bill is already engaging the attention of stakeholders, and DUBAWA has been asked to provide input.
The Minister added that plans are in place to ensure that all government statements have digital signatures as an authenticating factor to prevent misrepresentation of government communications.
MIL Interventions
Whilst DUBAWA in principle is not against a regulatory framework in combating disinformation, the Editor for DUBAWA West Africa, Mr Nathan Gadugah, said the government must also consider democratising Media and Information Literacy (MIL) at the fundamental levels of education.
Even though the regulatory framework is likely to be punitive and deter people from engaging in acts of disinformation, Mr. Gadugah said, a bigger harm will be caused by disinformation actors if citizens do not build resilience against misinformation.
He added that issues about disinformation are at the core of our fundamental human rights. “Everyone has a right to accurate information. Therefore, if bad actors continue to pollute the information environment, what it means is that the quality of decision-making within our democracy will be impaired,” he noted.
He stated that DUBAWA, since its inception in 2020 in Ghana, has been phenomenal in its fight against election disinformation, especially while promoting a safe and trusted media ecosystem.
Roselena Ahiable, Head of Programmes for DUBAWA West Africa and a member of the team, said that including Media Information Literacy in the country’s school curriculum, from basic to tertiary levels, will be one of the surest ways to build resilience.
Meanwhile, the team at DUBAWA is pleased to collaborate with the government to combat the spread of disinformation, starting with its input on the Misinformation, Disinformation, Hate Speech, and Publication of Other Information Bill.
The team that paid a courtesy call on the minister included Maxine Danso, Global Expansion Lead; Edem Kunkpe, Programmes Officer; and Nathaniel Kyere Bekoe, a researcher.
About DUBAWA
DUBAWA is the fact-checking arm of the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development, headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, with a presence in eight other countries, including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and The Gambia, as well as Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. The Ghana operations began in 2020. As a fact-checking organisation, DUBAWA has executed several projects, including live election fact-checks across the sub-region, particularly in Ghana in 2020 and 2024, as part of the Ghana Fact-checking Coalition. Through innovation, DUBAWA has also introduced the chatbot and DUBAWA audio platform, all in an effort to combat disinformation across the sub-region.
