Claim: KT Hammond has lost his seat. (Source: Facebook, Twitter)
Verdict: False
Explanation
Reports that the Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa Constituency, K. T Hammond, has lost his seat are not confirmed yet. The Ghana Fact-checking Coalition gathers that the Electoral Commission is still collating results from the various polling stations and has yet to declare a winner. An EC officer in the Asokwa Constituency confirmed to the Coalition that the collation of votes is ongoing and no winner has been declared yet.
Ghana’s Works and Housing minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, has urged the electorate to retain the country’s governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December polls.
The lawmaker said John Mahama, the ex-Ghanaian leader and the 2024 flagbearer of the country’s opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), did not deserve another chance because he had ruined the economy.
“During President Mahama’s tenure four years as President, actually four and a half years, he reduced growth from the 9% that he took down to about 3.4%… When Akufo-Addo and Bawumia assumed office, we moved growth from 3.4% to about 8.5% in the very first 12 months,” Mr Oppong-Nkrumah said.
See minutes 12:07 to 12:26 of the video posted on YouTube for the minister’s comment about Mr Mahama.
The social media data revealed that the video was viewed over 14,213 times as of Nov. 27, 2024.
DUBAWA has fact-checked the legislator’s claims about the country’s former President.
Claim 1: Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Ghana’s Housing minister, claimed John Mahama, the ex-Ghanaian President and 2024 NDC flagbearer, reduced the country’s economic growth rate from the 9% he inherited to 3.4% at the end of Dec. 2016.
Verdict: Misleading. DUBAWA’s investigations showed that the ex-Ghanaian leader John Mahama did not leave a 3.4% economic growth rate, as the lawmaker alleged. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) data published in 2017 and 2018 revealed the country’s economic growth rate in 2016 was 3.7%, not 3.4%.
Verification
DUBAWA’s research showed that the ex-Ghanaian leader John Mahama did not leave a 3.4% economic growth rate, as the lawmaker alleged.
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) data published in 2017 and 2018 revealed the country’s economic growth rate in 2016 was 3.7%, not 3.4%.
DUBAWA’s investigation shows that the economic growth rate was 3.4% in 2016. However, World Bank data confirmed that it changed to 3.7% after rebasing the economy.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has defined rebasing as “the process by which constant price aggregates are updated using the prices of a more recent period.”
In April 2018, the GSS said the “Provisional GDP estimates for 2017 showed a growth rate of 8.5 per cent compared to 3.7 per cent in 2016.”
See paragraph 4 of page 3 of the GSS report titled ‘Provisional 2017 Annual Gross Domestic Product’ here.
Also, in the Sept. 2017 edition of the GSS report on Ghana’s economy, the body said the “Revised GDP estimates for 2016 showed a growth rate of 3.7 per cent compared to 3.8 per cent in 2015.”
See paragraph 4 of page 3 of the GSS report dubbed ‘Revised 2016 Annual Gross Domestic Product’ here.
Conclusion
Ex-Ghanaian leader John Mahama left a 3.7% economic growth rate in Dec. 2016, not 3.4% as the legislator alleged.
Claim 2: Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Ghana’s Housing minister, claimed President Nana Akufo-Addo moved the country’s economic growth rate from the 3.4% he inherited to about 8.5% in the first 12 months.
Verdict: False. DUBAWA’s probe showed President Nana Akufo-Addo did not grow Ghana’s economy from a 3.4% growth rate in 2016 to 8.5% in 2017, as the minister alleged. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) data published in 2019 revealed the country’s economic growth rate was 8.1% in 2017, not 8.5%. Also, World Bank data has confirmed that Ghana’s economic growth rate was 8.1% in 2017, not 8.5%.
Verification
DUBAWA’s probe showed President Nana Akufo-Addo did not grow Ghana’s economy from a 3.4% growth rate to 8.5% within 12 months, as the minister alleged.
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) data published in 2019 revealed the country’s economic growth rate was 8.1% in 2017, not 8.5%.
In its April 2019 report, the GSS said the “Provisional GDP estimates for 2018 showed a growth rate of 6.3 per cent compared to 8.1 per cent in 2017.”
See paragraph 4 of page 3 of the GSS report dubbed ‘Rebased 2013-2018 Annual Gross Domestic Product’ here.
Also, World Bank data has confirmed that Ghana’s economic growth rate was 8.1% in 2017, not 8.5%.
Conclusion
President Nana Akufo-Addo did not grow Ghana’s economy from a 3.4% growth rate in 2016 to 8.5% in 2017, as the minister alleged.
A Communication team member of Ghana’s governing New Patriotic Party, Dr. Ishaq Ibrahim, has appealed to Ghanaians to keep faith with the government despite the economic challenges.
Participating in a political discussion on Accra-based TV3, the lecturer said President Nana Akufo-Addo had outperformed ex-President John Mahama in managing the Ghanaian economy.
“Despite that we had these problems [COVID-19], we still did better than the last administration that John Mahama led. John Mahama left when he had taken us to the IMF. The inflation rate was about 14%, and when we came to power, the NPP immediately brought it down to 7%. It was 7% before COVID-19 hit us, so you check it,” the private legal practitioner said.
For Dr Ibrahim’s comment, see minutes 0:49 to 1:30 of the video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Accra-based TV 3.
DUBAWA has fact-checked the law lecturer’s claims about Mr Mahama, COVID-19, and the Ghanaian inflation rate.
Claim 1: Dr. Ishaq Ibrahim, a member of Ghana’s governing NPP communication team, has alleged that ex-President John Mahama handed over when the country’s inflation was about 14%.
Verdict: False! DUBAWA’s investigation showed that Ghana’s inflation on Dec. 31, 2016, days after Mr Mahama had lost his re-election bid, was not “about 14%,” as Dr Ibrahim claimed. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS)’s Statistical Bulletin, released on Jan. 11, 2017, revealed the country’s inflation in Dec. 2016 was 15.4%, down by 0.1% from 15.5% recorded in Nov. 2016. Also, World Bank data pegged the country’s inflation as of Dec. 31, 2016, at 17.5%.
Verification
DUBAWA’s research revealed that Ghana’s inflation as of Dec. 31, 2016, days after Mr Mahama had lost his re-election bid, was not “about 14%,” as Dr Ibrahim claimed.
The GSS explained, “This rate of inflation for December 2016 is the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the twelve months, from December 2015 to December 2016.”
A screenshot of the GSS Dec. 31, 2016 inflation data
Also, World Bank data published on its website pegged the West African country’s inflation at 17.5% as of Dec. 31, 2016.
The global body has disclosed it computed Ghana’s inflation data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Financial Statistics, and other data files.
A screenshot of the World Bank data on Ghana’s inflation
Conclusion
As of Jan. 7, 2017, when ex-President John Mahama handed over to President Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghana’s inflation was not “about 14%,” as Dr Ishaq Ibrahim claimed. The GSS revealed the country’s inflation was 15.4%.
Claim 2: Dr Ishaq Ibrahim, also alleged that President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government “immediately” brought down the country’s inflation to 7% when it took office.
Verdict: False. DUBAWA’s checks with the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) showed that President Nana Akufo-Addo did not “immediately” bring down the country’s inflation to 7%, as Dr Ishaq Ibrahim alleged. The GSS revealed that Ghana’s inflation was 11.8% as of Dec. 31, 2017, 9.4% as of Dec. 31, 2018, and 7.9% as of Dec. 2019. Also, World Bank data disclosed the country’s inflation was 12.4% as of Dec. 2017, 7.8% as of Dec. 2018, and 7.1% as of Dec. 2019.
Verification
DUBAWA’s investigation disclosed that President Nana Akufo-Addo did not “immediately” bring down the country’s inflation to 7%, as Dr Ishaq Ibrahim alleged.
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) revealed that Ghana’s inflation was 11.8% as of Dec. 31, 2017, 9.4% as of Dec. 31, 2018, and 7.9% as of Dec. 2019.
Although the West African country recorded single-digit inflation in 2018 and 2019, no data points to a 7% inflation in Ghana “immediately” after President Nana Akufo-Addo took office.
A screenshot of the GSS Dec. 31, 2017 inflation data
Also, World Bank data disclosed that the country’s inflation was 12.4% as of Dec. 2017, 7.8% as of Dec. 2018, and 7.1% as of Dec. 2019.
The World Bank data culled from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Financial Statistics, and other data files showed Ghana recorded single-digit inflation in 2018 and 2019.
Conclusion
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed that President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government did not “immediately” bring down the country’s inflation to 7%, as Dr Ishaq Ibrahim alleged.
Claim 3: A communication team member of Ghana’s governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) claims Ghana’s inflation was 7% when it recorded its first COVID-19 case.
DUBAWA’s investigations showed Ghana’s inflation rate was not 7% when it recorded its first COVID-19 case, as Dr Ishaq Ibrahim claimed. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) data revealed the country’s inflation rate was 7.8% at the end of Feb. 2020.
A screenshot of the GSS inflation data for Feb. 2020
Ghana’s inflation was not 7% when it recorded its first COVID-19 cases, as Dr Ishaq Ibrahim alleged. The GSS data revealed the country’s inflation was 7.8% at the end of Feb. 2020 in a report published on Mar. 11, 2020, barely a day after its first virus cases were detected.
Claim: General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, John Boadu, has claimed that about 90% of ruling governments lost their incumbency in 2020.
False. Checks by DUBAWA indicate that as many as 30 Presidential elections were held in 2020 globally. Out of these elections, 20 representing 66.6% of winners were candidates from the ruling party.
Full story
General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, John Boadu, has said that his party is among a few to have been re-elected in presidential elections in the heat of the COVID 19 pandemic.
According to him, about 90 percent of ruling parties suffered defeat in their respective countries when elections were held in the year 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on Accra-based Peace FM Akan language, the politician said that the re-election of the New Patriotic Party in 2020 was a testament to President Akufo-Addo’s efficient management of the economy in the midst of the pandemic.
“All political parties in the world, almost about 90 percent of them, in the year of COVID, when they contested, they lost it. Look at [Donald] Trump, before COVID did you see the things he was doing? But the management of COVID did not help him and so he lost. Look at Angela Merkel’s party, they lost it. I can cite a lot of examples. The same thing happened in India. [For] Ghana, because of what President Akufo-Addo did, because of his management of the economy, in the year of elections, during COVID, we won our election,” John Boadu said in Akan which has been translated into english..
His claim can be found between minutes 1:22 to 2:22 of a video uploaded on the Despite Media channel on Youtube.
The video, uploaded on April 21, has since attracted over 500 views and a number of comments.
Article 56 of India’s constitution (Page 58) states that “the President shall hold office for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office”
This means that India is expected to go to the polls again in 2022 to elect a new President.
In view of this, John Boadu is wrong to cite India among countries where the ruling party lost an election during the year of COVID. The country’s last election was held in 2017, which is about two years before the outbreak of COVID-19.
Again, DUBAWA came across 30 countries, including Ghana, that held elections to elect a leader for their respective governments in 2020.
Relying on reports from credible media organizations, DUBAWA noticed that, like Ghana, 20 countries out of the 30 identified, had the ruling party retaining power.
It cannot, therefore, be said that 90% of incumbent governments lost power in the heat of the global pandemic in 2020.
Conclusion
John Boadu’s claim that as many as 90% of ruling parties across the globe lost in their re-election bid to lead their respective countries is false.
Out of 30 countries where presidential elections were held, DUBAWA confirmed that the ruling party secured re-election victory in 20 of those elections.
Claim: North Tongu MP, Okudzeto Ablakwa, says that Ghana recorded the biggest budget deficit in the world, due to COVID-19 expenditure
The 15.2% of GDP quoted by Mr. Ablakwa as Ghana’s budget deficit for 2020 is lower, compared to some countries, including Oman and Kuwait. The two countries recorded a budget deficit of 19.3% of GDP and 15.4% of GDP respectively in 2020.
Full Text
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has claimed that Ghana recorded the biggest budget deficit in the world in the heat of the Covid19 pandemic.
He says that this was a result of the government’s COVID-19 expenditure.
Mr. Ablakwa made the claim during an engagement on Newsfile, a socio-political news analysis show that airs on JoyNews.
“Why is it that the Ghanaian Parliament alone cannot have a special committee to look into COVID-19 expenditure which runs into billions? Because of COVID-19 expenditure, we recorded the biggest budget deficit in the world – 15.2%,” the lawmaker said.
In effect, the MP is claiming that the gap between expenditure and income for the Government of Ghana is the widest when it is compared to that of other countries across the world during the pandemic.
Therefore, to authenticate the claim by the lawmaker, DUBAWA will check the data from these institutions and compare them to that of other countries.
Last year, the IMF released its Fiscal Monitor Report which is a detailed overview of countries’ fiscal actions in response to COVID-19.
In the report, Ghana was classified as a Low-Income Developing Country, alongside the likes of Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo.
According to the report, the average deficits as a share of GDP in 2020 reached 11.7 percent for advanced economies, 9.8 percent for emerging market economies, and 5.5 percent for low-income developing countries.
The report noted that the rise in deficits in low-income developing countries, such as Ghana, “stemmed primarily from the collapse in revenues caused by the economic downturn.”
What was Ghana’s General Government Overall Balance for 2020?
Although the IMF did not use the term “budget deficit” in its data presentation, it explains in a publication on its website that overall balance “measures the difference between revenues and grants, and expenditure and net lending.”
The IMF April 2021 Report indicated that Ghana’s General Government Overall Balance was 16.0% of its GDP in 2020.
“The fiscal deficit including energy and financial sector costs worsened to 15.2 percent of GDP, with a further 2.1 percent of GDP in additional spending financed through the accumulation of domestic arrears.”
The World Bank’s October 2021 update on Ghana’s Economic Outlook also mentioned that the country’s fiscal deficit was 15.2% of GDP for 2020.
However, figures from the Ministry of Finance are different from what the two authorities quote.
“The overall budget deficit on a cash basis was 11.7 percent of GDP against a revised target of 11.4 percent of GDP,” the 2021 budget indicated.
Clearly, there is some disagreement amongst the data sources on what Ghana’s budget deficit is for 2020.
Since Mr. Ablakwa quoted Ghana’s 2020 budget deficit to be 15.2%, it is very likely that he was using World Bank/IMF figures for Ghana.
What’s the budget deficit situation like for other countries?
Ghana is not the only country with different authorities publishing different figures regarding their budget deficit.
A December 2021 publication in the UK House of Commons Library indicated that the country’s budget deficit was equal to 15.1% of GDP.
“In 2020/21 government revenue – from taxes and other receipts – was £792 billion while government spending was £1,115 billion (£1.1 trillion). The deficit was therefore £323 billion, equivalent to 15.1% of GDP, which is a peacetime record. As we discuss below, the budget deficit ballooned because of the coronavirus pandemic,” parts of the publication read.
However, the IMF April 2021 Report indicated that the UK’s General Government Overall Balance was 13.4% of its GDP.
German database organization, Statista, also quotes the UK’s budget balance, also known as budget deficit, for 2020 as 12.53% of GDP.
These contradictions were the same in the case of the United States of America. Whilst the IMF Report indicated that the US budget deficit was 15.8% of its GDP, statista mentioned 14.85%.
How does Ghana’s 2020 budget deficit stand against others?
If the figure from the Finance Ministry (11.7% of GDP) is used against others, it will be false to claim that Ghana recorded the biggest budget deficit in the world in 2020 due to COVID-19, as the likes of the US and UK recorded higher figures, according to figures from their local authorities.
Again, if the 15.2% of GDP figure quoted by the World Bank/IMF is used, it will also be lower if compared to countries such as Oman.
Kuwait, a country in the Middle East, also recorded a relatively higher budget deficit – 15.4% of GDP (including investment income)
Conclusion
Whilst there are not many countries that recorded higher budget deficits as Ghana did, it is not true that Ghana’s 15.2% of GDP budget deficit is the highest in the world in 2020. At least, Oman and Kuwait recorded higher budget deficits – 19.3% of GDP and 15.4% of GDP respectively.
Claim: President Akufo-Addo says that Ghana’s COVID-19 death rate is one of the lowest in the world.
Verdict: Dubawa has analyzed data from the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University and has found the claim by the President to be largely true.
Full Text
Ghana’s president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that Ghana’s COVID-19 death rate is one of the lowest in the world.
The President said this on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at the opening of the 73rd Annual New Year School and Conference, organized by the School of Continuing and Distance Education, College of Education, University of Ghana.
“COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihoods of hundreds and hundreds of millions of people across the globe and it has led to the deaths of some 5 million and 600 thousand people worldwide. Mercifully, God being so good, Ghana has recorded one of the lowest death rates in the world, numbering in total 1,379 so far,” the President said.
The World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University have also reported that the country has recorded a total of 1,370 COVID-19 deaths.
The last updates by the WHO and the JHU, at the time of this report, was on January 24, 2022.
The two institutions use the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) as well as the Cumulative death per 100,000 population to measure the severity of the pandemic in a country or region.
According to the WHO, CFR estimates the proportion of deaths among identified confirmed cases as was contained in its August 4, 2020 publication.
Out of the eight, the most fit is the cause-specific mortality rate. The cause-specific mortality rate is the mortality rate from a specified cause (in this case COVID-19) for a population. This is measured per 100,000 of the population.
The WHO and JHU both provide the CFR and deaths per 100,000 population in their COVID-19 data.
In several publications that analyzed Africa’s COVID-19 mortality rate, references were made to the continent’s CFR and deaths per 100,000 population, or in some instances deaths per a million of the population.
Ghana’s case-fatality rate is 0.9% whereas the cumulative death per 100,000 population is 4.50, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Out of over 184 countries/areas/territories, whose data is available on JHU, Ghana’s case-fatality rate is only higher than that of 46 other countries/areas/territories.
If the countries/areas/territories whose data is captured by Johns Hopkins University are to be ranked according to their respective case-fatality rate, Ghana will be placed 138th out of 184.
Ghana placing 138 out of 184 countries/areas/territories can largely be accepted as very low.
Source: John Hopkins University (Arranging countries/areas/territories according to case-fatality rate)
Apart from the CFR, Dubawa considered Ghana’s deaths per 100,000 population (Deaths/100K Pop.) as against other countries/areas/territories in verifying the president’s claim
Data from the World Health Organization indicated that Ghana’s Deaths/100K Pop. is 4.41 after recording 1,370 total deaths.
Source: World Health Organization
Ghana’s 4.41 Deaths/100K Pop. is only higher than 43 countries/areas/territories out of the 237 captured in WHO’s database.
From JHU’s data, the country’s Deaths/100K Pop. is 4.50 after recording 1,370 total deaths. Ghana’s 4.50 is only higher than that of 22 other countries/areas/territories.
If the countries whose data is captured by Johns Hopkins University are to be ranked according to their respective deaths/100K pop Ghana will be placed 162nd out of 184 countries/areas/territories.
Source: John Hopkins University (Arranging countries according to Deaths/100K population)
It is worth noting that some countries/areas/territories with a lower death rate per 100K population had recorded no cases of COVID-19.
Some of these are Turkmenistan, Tuvalu and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Burundi’s death per 100K population is currently 0.118 and could be mentioned as the country with the lowest COVID-19 death rate.
The Eastern African country has recorded 37,170 cases and has recorded 14 deaths, according to WHO figures.
Ghana’s case fatality rate on www.ourworldindata.org is 0.88% after recording 1,370 cases. The website also indicated that the country’s new COVID-19 deaths per million of population is 0.12.
Worldmeters has the COVID-19 data of 225 countries. It has quoted 1,370 as Ghana’s total death toll. It has indicated that the country’s death per 1million population is 43.
If these 225 countries are ranked according to their deaths per 1 million population, Ghana will be placed 185, using data from Worldmeters.
Source: Worldometers.info
Global COVID-19 outlook
According to the World Health Organization, globally, as of 5:06 PM CET, 24 January 2022, there have been 349,641,119 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5,592,266 deaths. As of 24 January 2022, a total of 9,620,105,525 vaccine doses have been administered.
Conclusion
Having analyzed data from the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University, Dubawa has rated the claim to be largely true.
This report was produced under the Dubawa Student Fact-checking Project aimed at offering students in tertiary schools aspiring to take up roles in the profession the opportunity to acquire real-world experience through verification and fact-checking.
Claim: Seven Gambia national football team players and four members of the Gambian coaching staff returned positive Covid-19 tests on Thursday 27th January 2022 and have been placed in isolation
Evidence of the screengrab was fabricated and generated by a tool. In addition, a CAF official has denied the organisation made any such post. The Gambian Football Federation has also denied the claims, describing it as untrue.
Full Text
An image in circulation that contains a tweet supposedly from the official CAF Twitter account claims that seven players including the captain of the Gambian National football team and four members of the management team tested positive for Covid-19 and have been put in isolation. This claim comes two days ahead of Gambia’s upcoming quarter-final match against Cameroon on January 29, 2022, and could potentially affect the Gambian team. The claim, which gathered 2,000 retweets, 6,000 quote tweets, and 55,000 likes is seen below.
Photo of screengrab with claim making the rounds attributed to CAF
Verification
Assessing the purported CAF-Official Twitter screengrab
Dubawa set out to confirm from CAF if the viral screengrab alleged to be emanating from their official twitter page was true but we found it to be false.
Navigating the official CAF Twitter page, and comparing it to the viral screengrab, there appears to be some similarity. However, a cursory look at the picture and CAF’s official twitter page shows a bit of a difference. CAF’s official page has the AFCON trophy symbol in gold very close to the verified icon. However, the picture with the claim has no such trophy. It only shows the verified icon. Furthermore, regular content from the official CAF Twitter page disproves the authenticity of the screengrab. This is because the CAF Twitter was predominant with highlights of a match in video formats and updates on ongoing matches such as score lines, with very few instances where there were posts on players, or CAF-related issues outside the match as found here and here. The particular screengrab with the claim in question could not be found on their timeline. Furthermore, the hashtags used in the screengrab were inconsistent with the hashtags of the official CAF Twitter.
Based on the archival nature of the Internet, Dubawa took to further investigate the authenticity of the screengrab by searching for the history of the post with Google and The Wayback Machine. When the exact words of the Tweet were searched on Google, there was interestingly no evidence of the text found anywhere on the Internet – not even from the supposed thousands of retweets, quote tweets and likes from the post
Photo of Google search showing no history of claim online
Furthermore, searching for a possible deleted post from CAF official Twitter page was investigated on The WayBack Machine, and there was no trace of such a tweet ever posted by the CAF official Twitter page generated by the Internet archival tool.
Additionally, there was no identified source of the post anywhere online, and given the fact that there were variations in the screengrab and CAF official page, Dubawa had every reason to believe the screengrab in circulation was fake, generated by tools such as TweetGen.
TweetGen is a fake tweet generator which allows for users to create tweets with a verified check and a custom like and retweet count as evidently seen in the purported CAF official tweet making the rounds.
Photo of TweetGen stating its functions for users in creating fake tweets
Dubawa also spoke to a CAF media correspondent who denied the existence of the tweet by CAF. The correspondent indicated that it was against the organisation’s policy to make public the health records or health status of players, emphasising that such a post can never be authored by CAF on its official Twitter page.
Gambia Football Federation also debunks claim
Additionally, the Gambia Football Federation (GFF) has denied the claims making the rounds and stated that the reports are “fake, malicious and bogus”.
Facebook post of Gambia Football Federation debunking the claims
Conclusion
The tweet purportedly by CAF stating that 7 Gambian National football team players and 4 members of the Gambian coaching staff returned positive Covid-19 tests on Thursday 27th January 2022 and have been placed in isolation is false. Not only do independent investigations reveal that it was a fabricated screengrab generated by a tool, a CAF official has denied the organisation ever making such a post. The Gambian Football Federation has also confirmed that the news is untrue.
Claim 1: News reports claim Ghana is the only country championing mandatory vaccination.
Ghana is not the only country making vaccination mandatory. Reports from Statista, a global sourcing hub, capture several countries including Germany and France to have made COVID-19 vaccination mandatory.
Full Text
The headline of a news report by 3news.com, attributed to the National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, claims Ghana is the only country championing mandatory vaccination.
“It’s only Ghana that is championing mandatory vaccination – Sammy Gyamfi,” the headline reads.
The report was crafted from an interview Sammy Gyamfi granted to Alfred Ocansey on the Sunrise Show on 3FM, on Wednesday, January 12, 2022.
According to Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, the Ministry is doing all it can to ensure that at least 20 million people get vaccinated to reach herd immunity. One of such measures, the Ministry says, is the introduction of a mandatory vaccination policy for travellers, including Ghanaian nationals, entering the country through the Kotoka International Airport. The government also indicated plans to prevent unvaccinated persons from gaining access to public places like stadiums. However, the decision by the ministry has received a lot of backlash from various groups such as the Concerned Ghanaian Doctors and Advocate for Christ Ghana.
Verification
With the overwhelming interest the story has generated on these platforms, Dubawa found it necessary to verify the facts as claimed in the news report and subject the source of the report to scrutiny as well.
As a result, we assessed the video streamed on the Facebook page of 3fm to ascertain whether Sammy Gyamfi made the claim.
At 30minutes:30 seconds – 33minutes:31 seconds of the Facebook video, part of which we have quoted, we found that 3news.com partially misrepresented the views of the NDC National Communications Officer.
For the avoidance of doubt, this is what he said: “There is no country in the whole world that has mandated COVID-19 vaccination for its citizens, and it is required that they take it before they allow their citizens to enter their own country. COVID-19 vaccination mandate has been done in Australia, the U.S, and all across the world, it’s been done. But in all those countries, including the U.S, it is not used as the right of entry of citizens into their country. It is only in Ghana we are saying that a country that has less than one percent fatality rate of COVID-19 should be mandated to take the vaccines.”
Dubawa spoke to Sammy Gyamfi to seek further clarifications on the claim; he said he has been misrepresented by 3news.
“What I said was Ghana is the only country in the world that has announced the kind of compulsory vaccination restrictions that we are currently implementing. What do I mean by that? There are so many countries that have mandated COVID-19 vaccines but none of these countries require their citizens to take a COVID vaccine before entering their own country. So 3news got it wrong when they said I said no country has mandated COVID vaccines. No, that can not be true. Countries have mandated, but it is the type and form of the mandate I am talking about,” he said.
How are other countries handling mandatory vaccination?
In the United States, citizens do not need proof of vaccines to enter the United States. This is captured by the national public health agency of the United States, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Countries like France, Italy, and Germany have all made vaccination mandatory.
Statista is a global sourcing hub, and it has listed the number of countries making vaccination mandatory. Italy, Vatican, Greece, and Russia are among such countries.
Claim 2: World Health Organization (WHO) does not support compulsory vaccination.
A policy brief by the World Health Organization indicates that it does not support mandatory vaccination.
The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) further claimed on the same show that the World Health Organisation (WHO) does not support compulsory vaccination. This was made on the (29 minutes 50 secs – 30minutes 19seconds) of the Facebook video posted by 3FM
“The World Health Organization (WHO) has come out to say that they don’t support compulsory vaccination. And they are saying that even if the government wants to adopt compulsory vaccination there should be some extra caveats that must be respected,” Sammy Gyamfi said.
It explains further that mandatory vaccination policies limit individual choice in non-trivial ways by making vaccination a condition of, for example, attending school or working in particular industries or settings, like health care.
We researched documents of the WHO and found a policy brief dated 14th April 2021 titled Covid-19 and mandatory vaccination: Ethical considerations and caveat. It is stipulated on the first page that WHO does not support mandatory vaccination but rather various countries should focus on raising awareness and making the vaccines accessible.
“Although it should be noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) does not presently support the direction of mandates for COVID-19 vaccination, it is better to work on information campaigns and make vaccines accessible,” the statement said.
“Our position at the WHO is that mandatory vaccination should be considered when the health gain that you are going to get from imposing that is very clear, and you’ve tried all other measures to get people vaccinated. I still believe that the best way is to continue engaging with the people and to continue to drive the idea of an informed choice. But there are circumstances in which the threat to society, the threat to the health system, the threat to the economy is such that governments, having tried all other measures, can make such decisions”.
“This raises issues about human rights, and it is something that the government should consider extremely carefully. And they need to be sure that the benefits of doing this outweighs the risks and that they have everything possible, to address vaccine hesitancy and other issues they feel that they have no other alternative, and it has to have an objective of protecting the individual or protecting the society or the health system. There must be very clear reasons why that action is being taken. And there needs to be a dialogue within government, agencies, and communities around these issues.” Dr. Ryan said.
Conclusion
The claim that Ghana is the only country championing mandatory vaccination is false. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that it does not approve of making vaccination mandatory.
Fact-checkers around the globe have accused video and social media platform, YouTube, of laxity in curbing the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
The fact-checkers, under the aegis of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), said the platform has lent itself as ‘one of the major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide.’
In an open letter to YouTube’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Susan Wojcicki, IFCN signatories, Dubawa inclusive, noted that the platform has been exploited by spreaders of false information.
“As an international network of fact-checking organisations, we monitor how lies spread online and everyday, we see that YouTube is one of the major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide. This is a significant concern among our global fact-checking community, “ the letter reads.
“What we do not see is much effort by YouTube to implement policies that address the problem. On the contrary, YouTube is allowing its platform to be weaponized by unscrupulous actors to manipulate and exploit others, and to organize and fundraise themselves. Current measures are proving insufficient” it added.
Following the spike in the spread of misinformation triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, social media platforms have joined the fight against misinformation. Facebook, which has long been in the fight against misinformation, said in 2021 that it removed about 18 million COVID related misinformation published on its platform.
YouTube has also made efforts to curb the spread of misinformation using its 4Rs principles but IFCN still believes this is not enough as conspiracy groups have in the last year been thriving and collaborating on the platform across borders.
The network believes surfacing fact-checked information is more effective than deleting false content as it preserves freedom of expression while acknowledging the need for the spread of the right information.
Seeing a large proportion of views on YouTube come from its own recommendation algorithm, IFCN says YouTube should make sure it does not actively promote disinformation to its users or recommend content coming from unreliable channels.
IFCN signatories note that YouTube is avoiding the possibility of doing what has been proven to work.
“Our experience as fact-checkers together with academic evidence tells us that surfacing fact-checked information is more effective than deleting content. It also preserves freedom of expression while acknowledging the need for additional information to mitigate the risks of harm to life, health, safety and democratic processes”.
Proposing a 4-point solution, the network wants YouTube to commit to meaningful and transparent efforts about disinformation on its platform, provide context and offer debunks, act against repeat offenders and extend current and future efforts against disinformation and misinformation in languages other than English.
The network seeking collaboration said it is ‘ready and able to help YouTube…to discuss these matters and find ways forward on a collaboration and look forward to your response to this offer’.
New reports indicate that a new variant of the coronavirus has been identified by scientists in South Africa. Identified on November 24, the new variant, omicron (B.1.1.529), becomes the fifth variant identified by the World Health Organization(WHO) since the pandemic began a year ago. The first known confirmed variant of Omicron infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 2021.
Although scientists are working to know more about this new variant, this article provides you with some initial facts about Omicron.
Where was Omicron identified?
The new variant was first identified by South African scientists in the country’s most populous province, Gauteng. It has been linked to a very rapid rise in cases in the province in the past weeks by South Africa’s health ministry. For now, scientists are unclear where the variant first emerged. It is suspected to have come from multiple countries which are currently unknown.
Has Omicron spread to other countries?
Yes. Omicron has been detected in travellers to Belgium, Botswana, Hong Kong and Israel.
What are the characteristics of the new variant?
Initial observation by the WHO indicates that the Omicron variant “has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning.” It also further suggests that there is an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other known variants.
How dangerous is this new variant?
Preliminary evidence does not indicate whether this new variant causes severe sickness in people. However, the evidence indicates that omicron is genetically distinct from previous variants including the beta and delta variants.
Note: This report will be updated as we get more information on this new variant
