Content creators from across West Africa have pledged to promote information integrity in the sub-region at a disinformation webinar jointly hosted by the European Union (EU) in Ghana, the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID), and DUBAWA Ghana.
The participants, bloggers, tech experts, and influencers from Nigeria, Liberia, and Ghana acknowledged the widespread commercialisation of disinformation on social media and committed to confronting the practice within their spheres of influence.
Panellists included Kerkula Blama (Liberia), Nat Hyde, popularly known as Bongo Ideas (Ghana), Rahmatulla Mahmud (Nigeria), Philomena Antonio (Ghana), and Kobby Spiky Nkrumah (Ghana).
Addressing the disinformation phenomenon, Deputy EU Ambassador Jonas Claes said at the EU, ”we don’t just wag our finger at disinformation, we actively try to do something about it. We combat disinformation throughout Africa, including in W-Africa and Ghana, where the phenomenon has been on the rise.”
“2-3 years ago, the risk in Ghana was fairly mild, but online actors increasingly engage in the manipulation of information with the express purpose to undermine stability, create tensions or harm EU-Ghana relations. The EU suffers from it, Ghana suffers from it, and the EU-Ghana relation suffers from it.”
Kerkula Blama, CEO of Geez, a digital platform in Liberia, admitted to previously spreading disinformation but said his perspective changed after participating in DUBAWA training.
“I will continue utilising the skills I have learned from DUBAWA and desist from posting anything that will be seen as disinformation,” he said.
Philomena Antonio, a Ghanaian philanthropist and content creator, called on technology companies and social media platforms to strengthen mechanisms for removing false Content.
“I pledge not to post any information I have not fact-checked,” she stated.
Nat Hyde acknowledged the pressures associated with blogging but emphasised his commitment to verification.
“I will ensure that every information I put out is fact-checked and that I follow the right processes to avoid spreading falsehood,” he said.
DUBAWA Ghana’s disinformation experts, Maxine Gloria Danso and Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers, highlighted evolving patterns of disinformation in the sub-region, including the role of coordinated campaigns and their links to anti-democratic narratives, such as online coup advocacy.
“Disinformation campaigns have driven violence, validated military coups, masked corruption and damaged reputations,” Brako-Powers noted.
He added that the quest for virality, monetisation and influence often motivates the spread of misleading content, ultimately eroding information integrity.
Maxine examined the consequences of monetised misinformation, warning that financial incentives tied to engagement metrics, such as views, likes and shares, encourage harmful content.
“Profiting from false information can cause reputational harm, distort public perception and, in extreme cases, inflame tensions and conflict,” she said.
She further observed that while disinformation is not new, evolving digital business models have made it more complex and difficult to combat.
The webinar held on X concluded with participants renewing their commitment to prioritise verification, ethical content creation, and responsible digital engagement across West Africa.
The event is part of “See the Pattern”; Campaign: Launched in January 2026 by the EU and DUBAWA, to strengthen information integrity in Ghana and the West African sub- region.
Source: EU/CJID/DUBAWA
