By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu
Accra, Mar. 03, GNA – Media practitioners, bloggers and policy actors across West Africa have renewed calls for responsible content creation to curb the growing commercialisation of disinformation in the region’s digital space.
The call was made during a regional webinar organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), DUBAWA and the European Union (EU), which brought together more than 900 participants.
The virtual forum, themed “Reducing Commercialisation of Disinformation through Responsible Blogging and Content Creation”, examined how profit-driven falsehoods were increasingly threatening democracy, public safety and national security.
Opening the session, Mr Jonas Claes, Deputy EU Ambassador, acknowledged public concerns surrounding the event and described the discussion as necessary for strengthening open democratic dialogue.
He emphasised that the forum was not intended to reward controversial personalities but to create space for “uncomfortable yet necessary” conversations that could improve information integrity in the region.
Ms Maxine Danso, International Expansion Lead at CJID, explained that the commercialisation of disinformation refers to the deliberate creation of misleading content primarily to generate engagement and revenue.
Ms Danso noted that digital platforms often reward virality over accuracy, creating an online economy where sensational or misleading posts could outperform carefully verified reporting.
She cited tactics such as clickbait headlines, manipulated content, and emerging artificial intelligence–driven deepfakes as part of a growing pattern used to attract traffic and monetise online influence.
Mr Austin Brako-Powers, Legal Practitioner and DUBAWA Researcher warned that when falsehoods were amplified for profit, citizens risked losing the ability to distinguish fact from fiction, a development he described as dangerous for democratic governance.
Some digital creators at the forum admitted that the pressure to publish quickly in the fast-paced online environment sometimes led to inadequate verification.
Mr Kerkula Blama, a Liberian blogger, described the ecosystem as a “pressure cooker”, recalling how prematurely reporting a high-profile death nearly landed him in legal trouble.
Similarly, Ghanaian content creator Ms Philomena Antonio said she once had to delete and publicly correct a story after discovering her source was inaccurate, stressing that transparency was key to maintaining credibility.
Mr Kobby Spiky Nkrumah, a Digital Strategist, also warned that rushed online posts had triggered legal threats and demands for retractions, highlighting the real-world consequences of digital publishing.
Mr Nat Hyde, a Ghanaian blogger popularly known as Bongo Ideas, whose inclusion in the panel had earlier sparked public backlash, acknowledged his “checkered reputation” but argued that false information only qualified as disinformation when there was deliberate intent to deceive.
“I don’t think I’ve ever put out something that I know is false,” he maintained, though he admitted complying with some retraction requests in the past.
His position underscored ongoing tensions around regulating online speech while protecting freedom of expression.
At the close of the webinar, participants pledged to strengthen fact-checking practices, avoid misleading headlines, promptly retract inaccurate posts, and issue public apologies when errors occur.
Organisers said the commitment forms part of the “See the Pattern” campaign, launched in January 2026 by the EU and DUBAWA to strengthen information integrity in Ghana and the wider West African sub-region.
They expressed optimism that sustained collaboration between journalists, bloggers and policy actors would help reduce the financial incentives that fuel viral falsehoods while rebuilding public trust in digital information.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/George-Ramsey Benamba