Joyce Danso/ Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Sept. 28, GNA – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission says it will continue to stand by the media as an indispensable partner.
Mr Mohammed Lawan Gana, ECOWAS Resident Representatives to Ghana, said this would enable the media to support the regional integration trajectory encapsulated under Vision 2050.
Mr Gana was speaking at the opening of a two-day Regional Training on Information Integrity for Journalists in ECOWAS Member States in Accra.
To tackle the menace of misinformation, disinformation, and false narratives within its Member States, the ECOWAS Commission in collaboration with GIZ Organizational Development (OD) Programme and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) organised the training.
The training aims to equip journalists with the requisite skills and knowledge to promote information integrity, responsible journalism and effectively and ethically counter misinformation, disinformation and anti-democratic narratives.
He commended the media for its critical role in promoting peace and democracy on the continent.
He said the workshop, focused on information integrity for journalists within ECOWAS member states, was crucial for amplifying ECOWAS’s visibility on its core regional integration initiatives outlined under vision 2050.
It was to promote peace and security, enhance economic integration, strengthen democratic governance, foster social inclusion and promote sustainable environmental action.
He said the training formed part of a broader initiative of the ECOWAS Commission under the enabling partnership of an MOU with MFWA signed in December 2023 with support from the GIZ OD Programme.
“In today’s fast-changing information landscape, dominated by the social media, truth is often challenged by misinformation, disinformation, and the deliberate distortion of facts,” he added.
He said journalists carry the heavy burden of safeguarding public trust and ensuring that citizens had access to accurate, verified, and balanced information.
“Without integrity in information, our democracies weaken, public confidence erodes, and social cohesion is threatened,” he said
Mr Daniel Max Boehme, the Head of Cooperation of the German Embassy in Accra, noted that the power of the media was among others to shape public debate, give citizens the voices and hold public officials accountable
However, he said disinformation and misinformation manipulated truth and promoted hate speech, threatened peace and eroded trust and divided communities.
He said the training was important for journalists to defend the truth, safeguard public debate and support ECOWAS vision of 2050.
Mr Boehme said a peaceful and prosperous region with strong institutions and shared values was key to ECOWAS 2050 vision
“For this vision to succeed, the media must also be viable, independent, professional and equipped to survive in the challenging digital landscape.
A free and sustainable media sector is the best guarantee that citizens would stay best informed in the face of powerful and information manipulation,” he added.
He reaffirmed the German government commitment to working with ECOWAS and the media to build peaceful and inclusive societies.
He encouraged journalists to carry into their newsrooms the insights of the training and ensure that truth travelled far more than lies.
Dr. Kojo Impraim, Director, Media for Peace and Social Cohesion, MFWA said the proliferation of digital technology in West Africa had enhanced access to information but at the same time it had brought about risks, unchecked harmful content and falsehood.
He noted that some journalists had become part of the problem in terms of content generation, information manipulation and the pace at which this information is circulated.
He said MFWA was aware of Foreign Information Manipulation Interference (FIMI) that was eating into democracy in the region.
“We are aware of bad actors of political parties, including media, social media influencers and foreign entities that are spreading and promoting falsehood.”
He listed limited skills enhancement and lack of digital resources as some of the challenges militating against misinformation and disinformation.
He said MFWA was also aware of partisan ownership of the media, absence of broadcasting law in Ghana, and professional challenges, financial viability and absence of a regulatory regime to control media narrative.
Dr Impraim said it was important that MFWA identify and intensify collective actions and voices within the subregion for civil reformation, activism and fact-checking to promote information integrity, democracy and countering misinformation.
He said training of journalists began in Nigeria, Cote D’ivoire, Gambia and Liberia.
He said MFWA was grooming journalists to become active cohorts, who would champion the fight against misinformation.
He noted that well trained journalists could promote and empower citizens and shape up the dialogue on information integrity and other forms of information disorders.
GNA
Christian Akorlie