Shamima Muslim: Disinformation is One of the Biggest Threats to Democracy in West Africa

Shamima Muslim, Spokesperson for the Vice President of Ghana, stated that one of the biggest dangers threatening the future of democracy in West Africa is now disinformation and coordinated misinformation campaigns. In her speech at the first CJID Ghana Media Summit held in Accra, she emphasized that democratic processes are increasingly being questioned not only within traditional political institutions but also on digital platforms. She particularly noted that the rapid advancement in artificial intelligence technologies has made the creation and spread of misinformation through synthetic media much easier. Muslim expressed that defending the facts and maintaining public trust in the media are extremely vital against these new threats brought by the digital age. These developments have once again highlighted the need to protect information integrity to sustain democratic institutions in the region.

Held in Accra, the capital of Ghana, the summit, themed "Defending Democracy in West Africa: The Role of the Media," hosted a broad group of participants gathered to strengthen regional cooperation. Media leaders, civil society organizations, policymakers, academics, diplomats, and development partners discussed joint strategies to enhance information integrity and democratic resilience. Shamima Muslim stated that in this new era where the stage and weapons have changed, their mission is to defend the truth. Addressing the participants, Muslim emphasized that fake news should not be allowed to shape the future of democracies. The summit also served as an important platform to honor the seven-year work of Dubawa Ghana, which promotes fact-checking and media innovation.

Muslim shared a striking finding by referencing the global risk assessment report of the World Economic Forum. According to the report, disinformation and misinformation rank at the top of the lists as the most severe short-term risk globally for the second consecutive time. This situation demonstrates that the issue is not unique to West Africa, but has become a crisis that requires the attention of all countries globally. Social media platforms and digital tools have created a new information age where truth and falsehood are intertwined. Authorities argue that international cooperation and solidarity beyond national borders are needed to manage this global risk.

Data from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025 also reveals how deep regional concerns are. According to this global research, 73 percent of survey participants in Africa express significant concern about distinguishing accurate information from falsehoods on the internet. This ratio stands out as the highest level of concern recorded worldwide. A large portion of internet users struggles to question the accuracy of the news and digital content they encounter. Muslim stated that this high level of concern clearly proves the importance of accurately informing the public. The fact that a society without access to accurate information cannot make healthy decisions is understood much more clearly in the light of these statistics.

The issue of combating disinformation and ensuring information integrity is not seen as a matter that only the media or governments can solve alone. Shamima Muslim stated that strong and continuous collaboration among governments, journalists, civil society, and technology stakeholders is essential. The democratic societies of the future can only be built with a vision shaped by fact-based, accurate, and impartial information. The fact that there cannot be informed citizens without accurate information, and no meaningful democracy can exist without informed citizens, forms the core philosophy of all these efforts. Governments and all relevant institutions must develop new and effective mechanisms that guarantee the public's access to accurate and impartial information in this era where the digital information ecosystem is rapidly evolving.