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DUBAWA Ghana, with funding from the US Embassy and American Spaces in Ghana, has organised a two-day webinar on election literacy. The webinar, which was held on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20, 2024, was to prepare a section of the over 871,000 first-time voters ahead of the December 2024 elections.
Under the theme, “Elections Information Literacy: Understanding Ghana’s Electoral Process,” the webinar featured presentations by representatives from the Electoral Commission, Ghana, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), and DUBAWA on electoral processes, the need to vote as a civic duty, and how to stay safe in a seemingly chaotic election ecosystem.
In her opening remarks, Emily Fertik, public diplomacy counsellor at the US Embassy in Ghana, commended DUBAWA for its remarkable efforts in combating information disorder as the country prepares to go into the December 7 elections. She said this webinar was essential for first-time voters ahead of the polls and would equip them with the knowledge and digital skills to stay safe from all forms of information disorder before, during, and after elections.
Dr Imurana Mohammed, director of programmes at NCCE, highlighted the NCCE’s role in electoral education. He stated that the NCCE organises grassroots events to increase citizen engagement in electoral processes. He encouraged participants to partake in the voter exhibition from August 20 to August 27, 2024, to avoid errors that can disenfranchise voters on election day.
“We should take advantage of this exercise to clarify details that may cause delays on election day. It will interest us to know that by doing this on the day of elections, we will spend less time. This will enhance the credibility of our elections because the identity challenges will be addressed,” he said.
He added that young people should be interested in and scrutinise the policies proposed by the various political parties. He commended and encouraged DUBAWA and the US Embassy to provide such digital platforms, which will aid the NCCE in reaching its youthful audiences through digital means.
Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers, a legal practitioner and researcher at DUBAWA Ghana, in his presentation, discussed the various forms of information disorder, how it manifests pre- and post-elections, and the multiple efforts by DUBAWA to ensure that voters are well-informed to make the right decisions and choices. He encouraged participants to be sceptical of the information they come across.
“This is one of many such trainings DUBAWA undertakes to ensure that voters are educated before the election. On election day, we will have a live fact-checking session on the DUBAWA website. If in doubt, do not reshare any content you come across, else you become a propagator of false information as well,” he said.
In his presentation, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, director of training at the Electoral Commission, encouraged first-time voters to take a keen interest in electoral processes. He asked the youth to participate in active politics, from assembly and unit committee membership, which they are eligible for at age 18, to member of parliament candidature, with an age cap of 21 and above.
On whether elections can be rigged in Ghana, Dr Quaicoe said Ghana’s elections process is robust and transparent at every turn, making it almost impossible to rig. He educated participants on the step-by-step electoral process, which included:
- Voter registration, which comes with end-of-day reports given to the various party representatives and voter exhibition
- Filing of nominations by prospective candidates
- Printing of ballot papers in Ghana with supervision by party officials and heavy security presence
- Transportation of election materials to the various polling and
- Election day procedures, counting, and coalition of results till the declaration of final results
He admonished first-time voters to desist and resist all forms of election violence.
In his closing remarks, Nathan Gadugah, DUBAWA’s editor and webinar moderator, thanked the US Embassy for its continued support and partnership in various efforts to combat information disorder in Ghana.
