Ghana has called on the United Nations to move beyond commitments and take concrete action to address the growing threat of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, warning that their amplification by artificial intelligence (AI) is eroding trust, fuelling division and undermining peace and security around the world.
The call was made by the Acting Director of Ghana’s Information Services Department, Dr Winifred Nafisa Mahama, during a session of the United Nations Information Committee, where she delivered Ghana’s national statement and aligned the country with the position of the Group of 77 and China.
“The global information space is under growing pressure. Misinformation, disinformation and hate speech amplified by artificial intelligence are eroding trust, fueling division and undermining peace and security,” Dr Mahama said, urging the international community to match its words with measurable steps.
Ghana welcomed the United Nations Global Principles for Information Integrity and called for their effective implementation, stressing the need for targeted capacity building for developing countries to ensure they were not left behind in the global effort to clean up the information environment.
On the role of technology, Ghana urged the responsible and human rights-based use of artificial intelligence to expand access to information across diverse linguistic communities, arguing that multilingualism was central to accessibility, inclusion and trust in the global information space.
Dr Mahama also used the platform to call for stronger protection for journalists and media professionals, describing their role in upholding transparency and accountability as indispensable to a healthy and well-functioning information environment.
She further stressed the importance of media and information literacy as a tool for building public resilience against the spread of misinformation.
In closing, Dr Mahama reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to international cooperation in building a more inclusive, equitable and resilient global information environment.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
