The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development [CJID] and its fact-checking subsidiary, DUBAWA, have deployed a team of fact-checkers, observers, and open source intelligence (OSINT) analysts to Ghana ahead of its 2024 general election.
The general election to elect a new president and members of parliament is expected to be held today, Dec. 7.
According to a statement by Akintunde Babatunde, Programme Director at CJID, a total of 19 experts are deployed through the organisation’s Media in National Elections [MiNE] initiative and verification campaign with a focus on combating the influx of fake news in the country.
This, according to him, is part of the think-thank initiative aimed at ensuring a transparent, credible, and inclusive electoral process in West Africa.
He added that CJID has also launched three situation rooms in Accra, Tamale, and Kumasi to enable rapid verification and prompt responses to misleading claims capable of inciting violence or swaying voters.
Akintunde said Dubawa, a fact-checking arm of CJID, had earlier found evidence of political propaganda aimed at manipulating public opinion ahead of the polls on social media. To address this challenge, the centre is collaborating with the Ghana Fact-checking Coalition, the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and other tech partners, including Meta and TikTok.
“By working together, citizens and institutions can uphold democratic values and safeguard Ghana’s longstanding reputation as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies,” Akintunde explained.