The ECOWAS Resident Representative in Ghana, Ambassador Mohammed Lawan, has urged journalists to always uphold truth in their reporting, stressing that “the truth will forever stand, no matter the situation.”
He made the call at the closing ceremony of a two-day capacity-building workshop for journalists and media practitioners in Accra, organised by the ECOWAS Commission through its Directorate of Communication in partnership with the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), with support from the German government.
The training was designed to enhance information integrity, combat misinformation, and build a more ethical and resilient media landscape in West Africa.
It also highlighted ECOWAS’s Vision 2050 priorities, including peace and security, democratic governance, economic integration, social inclusion, and sustainable environmental action.
Participants were taken through intensive hands-on sessions on fact-checking, open-source intelligence (OSINT), artificial intelligence applications, conflict-sensitive reporting, and media information literacy.
The sessions sought to strengthen journalists’ capacity to counter fake news, anti-democratic narratives, and harmful propaganda while safeguarding digital security and ethical standards.
Ambassador Lawan emphasised that journalists play a crucial role in shaping public opinion and must therefore avoid twisting facts or fueling disinformation.
He noted that the media’s commitment to truth is central to regional peace, stability, and integration, adding that West Africa cannot afford to be divided.
The workshop was part of a broader initiative under a memorandum of understanding signed between ECOWAS and MFWA in December 2023, supported by the GIZ OD Programme.
It brought together media professionals from across the subregion to strengthen their role as watchdogs of democracy and champions of credible information.
