Ghana’s democracy under pressure; youth must speak to defend their freedoms – Osahen Afenyo-Markin

Minority Leader and Effutu MP Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin has urged young Ghanaians to take an active interest in the country’s laws and democratic institutions.

He said Ghana’s constitutional protections, particularly freedom of speech and expression, aee facing pressure from the use of criminal and electronic communications laws in cases involving political commentary.

Osahen Afenyo-Markin made the remarks on Monday, September 21, when he delivered the keynote address at the National Emerging Leaders’ Economic Forum (NELEF 2026), organised by VODEC Africa at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).

“Our country's democracy is currently under a kind of pressure this generation has not had to reckon with before,” he said.

The Minority Leader said his concerns are not an endorsement of insults or personal attacks, stressing that political discourse should be based on respect, intellectual rigour and policy alternatives.

He, however, argued that the government’s use of provisions including Section 76 of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775), and Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), required public scrutiny.

The Minority Leader cited the case of nurse Salome Awiti Bafoh, who has been remanded in connection with investigations involving the anonymous social media account known as “Ghana Jollof”.

Osahen Afenyo-Markin questioned the circumstances surrounding Bafoh’s arrest and the subsequent remand and also raised concerns about access to her mobile phone.

He referred to the 2017 High Court decision in Edmund Addo v Attorney-General and Inspector-General of Police, in which the court held that police could not access the contents of seized electronic devices without the requisite court warrant.

The Minority Leader also criticised the continued use of custodial measures in cases involving minor offences, pointing to Ghana’s recently enacted Community Service Act, 2026.

“The freedom that we enjoy today was not handed to us without sacrifice, and we must not become a generation that is willing to surrender it through silence,” he said.

He cited other cases involving people arrested or convicted over social media publications, including TikToker Camila Alhassan, who was sentenced by an Accra Circuit Court to one year in prison with hard labour after pleading guilty to offensive conduct.

The Ghana Police Service has said it is also pursuing a separate charge of false communication against her under the Electronic Communications Act.

Osahen Afenyo-Markin further encouraged the youth to follow parliamentary proceedings, understand legislation governing their activities and become familiar with their constitutional rights.