President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to jointly lead a national stakeholder engagement on hate speech, abusive online content and responsible digital communication.
In a letter dated September 22, 2026, and signed by the Secretary to the President, Callistus Mahama, Ph.D., the President requested the two organisations to convene the engagement as part of efforts to address growing concerns over harmful content on social media and emerging digital platforms.
The proposed dialogue will examine the changing media environment, where public discourse is increasingly influenced not only by traditional media organisations but also by bloggers, content creators, influencers and individual users of platforms such as TikTok.
According to the letter, many of these actors command significant audiences and influence but may operate outside recognised editorial standards and established accountability mechanisms.
President Mahama said the development posed a public-policy challenge that required a careful balance between protecting freedom of expression and addressing unlawful or harmful content.
The President stressed that hate speech, threats, incitement and other unlawful conduct should be addressed, while legitimate criticism, political commentary, satire and dissent should not be criminalised.
He also cautioned against disproportionate responses to criticism or politically charged commentary, noting that such approaches could be counterproductive, potentially creating “martyrs” and undermining public confidence in state institutions.
The stakeholder engagement is therefore expected to produce a coherent national roadmap for protecting freedom of expression while establishing appropriate responses to genuinely harmful digital content.
The MFWA and GJA have been asked to lead a broad consultation involving the National Media Commission, Ghana Police Service, religious bodies, civil society organisations, traditional media organisations, bloggers, content creators and influencers.
Legal and human-rights organisations, representatives of digital platforms, as well as relevant state regulatory and security institutions, are also expected to participate.
Among other things, the process will assess the adequacy of existing legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks and clarify the distinction between lawful criticism and unlawful speech.
It will also seek to develop practical guidelines for law-enforcement agencies and recommend policy, legislative, regulatory and non-legislative measures for dealing with harmful online content.
The engagement will further consider public education, media and digital literacy, professional and ethical standards for online content creators, accessible complaints and redress mechanisms, and alternatives to arrest and prosecution in cases that do not involve threats, incitement, violence or other clearly criminal conduct.
The President has requested the MFWA and GJA to submit a proposed framework and timetable for the stakeholder engagement, together with recommendations arising from the process, for his consideration.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
