The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition recently released a report shedding light on the prevalence of election-related disinformation during the country’s 2024 elections. According to the report, President John Dramani Mahama was the target of 21.1% of the false information, while former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia faced 5.7% of the disinformation.
Titled “Countering Electoral Disinformation: Lessons from Ghana’s 2024 Elections,” the report was officially launched on January 30, 2025, by Kweku Krobea Asante, Coordinator for the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition. The findings of the report revealed that false information was directed at various political figures, parties, and state institutions. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) bore the brunt of 28.5% of the disinformation, while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) faced 24.4% of the false claims.
Institutions such as the Electoral Commission were also targeted, with 17.9% of the misinformation aimed at them. The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission was the subject of 0.08% of the false claims. Additionally, running mates of both leading parties were also subjected to disinformation, although to a lesser extent.
The report attributed much of the disinformation to politically aligned social media accounts. Pro-NPP accounts were responsible for 22 claims, while pro-NDC accounts generated 15. Non-aligned media sources accounted for 17 claims combined.
A coordinated social media campaign on December 6, just a day before the elections, spread harmful disinformation against President Mahama using hashtags like #IncompetentMahama and #FailedMahama. The same network promoted hashtags in support of Dr. Bawumia with #BawumiaForPresident and #1TouchForBawumia.
To combat this disinformation, the coalition took proactive measures by publishing cautionary flyers to warn the public about key perpetrators. The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition is a collaborative effort between fact-checking organizations, civil society groups, and the media to combat election disinformation and promote accurate information sharing during and after Ghana’s 2024 elections. Core members of the coalition include GhanaFact (FactSpace West Africa), Fact-Check Ghana (Media Foundation for West Africa), and DUBAWA Ghana (Centre for Journalism, Innovation, and Development), all affiliated with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
