Mahama asks MFWA, GJA to lead national dialogue on hate speech

President John Dramani Mahama has tasked the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) with leading a national stakeholder engagement on hate speech, abusive online content and responsible digital communication.

The initiative is intended to find ways of tackling threats, incitement, abusive language and other harmful material circulating on social media and emerging digital platforms without undermining freedom of expression.

In a letter dated September 22, 2026, from the Office of the President and signed by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, President Mahama said Ghana’s media landscape had undergone significant changes in recent years.

He noted that public discourse was no longer shaped solely by traditional media organisations operating under established professional and regulatory standards, but increasingly involved bloggers, content creators, influencers and individual users of platforms such as TikTok.

According to the President, some of these actors have built large audiences without necessarily being guided by recognised editorial standards or clear accountability mechanisms.

He described the situation as a “difficult but important public-policy challenge", stressing that efforts to deal with hate speech, threats, incitement and other unlawful conduct must not criminalise legitimate criticism, political commentary, satire or dissent.

The President also raised concerns about what he described as "disproportionate arrests over mere criticism or politically charged commentary", arguing that such measures could be counterproductive, create “undeserving martyrs” and weaken public confidence in state institutions.

He said there was "an urgent need for a coherent national roadmap that protects freedom of expression while providing an appropriate and proportionate response to genuinely harmful digital content."

The proposed engagement is expected to bring together a broad range of stakeholders, including the National Media Commission, religious bodies, the Ghana Police Service, civil society organisations, traditional media houses, bloggers, influencers and social media content creators.

Legal and human-rights experts, representatives of digital platforms where possible, as well as relevant regulatory and security institutions, are also expected to participate in the process.

The discussions are expected to assess whether Ghana’s existing legal, regulatory and institutional arrangements are adequate to address emerging challenges in the digital space.

They will also seek to establish clearer distinctions between lawful criticism and unlawful speech, develop practical guidelines for law-enforcement agencies, and propose policy, legislative, regulatory and non-legislative interventions.

Other areas expected to be considered include public education, media and digital literacy, ethical and professional standards for online content creators, accessible complaint 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 asked the MFWA and GJA to prepare and submit a proposed framework and timetable for the stakeholder engagement, together with recommendations that emerge from the process, for his consideration.