Information Minister-designate Fatimatu Abubakar has raised concerns about misinformation and disinformation in the media landscape.

To address this issue, she announced the government’s plan to collaborate with social media influencers to combat misinformation.

Speaking at the Africa Media Convention (AMC) in Accra, she highlighted the importance of media literacy programs to empower individuals to discern reliable information from falsehoods.

“The government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Information, implemented media literacy programmes to educate the public on critical thinking, source evaluation, and verification. These initiatives aim to empower individuals to discern reliable information from falsehoods. To achieve this aim, social media influencers with a wide-reaching impact on various platforms play a pivotal role in amplifying the importance of media literacy. By leveraging that influence, we aim to reach a broader audience instilling values of critical thinking and source evaluations in the hearts and minds of citizens,” the Information Minister-designate explained.

The AMC is an annual event supported by African media stakeholders, aimed at reflecting on the fundamental role of journalism on the continent, celebrating the principles of press freedom, and discussing measures to safeguard media freedoms, promote access to information, and ensure the safety and viability of journalists in AU Member States.

This year’s theme is, “Enhancing Freedom, Innovation, and Environmental Sustainability in a Dynamic Media Landscape.”