West Africa is home to diverse democratic experiences, yet disinformation has emerged as one of the most pressing threats in recent times – polarizing communities, deepening divisions, and undermining the region’s democratic fabric. This situation stems from the complexity of the evolving information ecosystem, which has introduced new forms of vulnerability.
Addressing this vulnerability makes it essential to promote cross-border discussions and implement coordinated, evidence-based strategies.
In view of this, Penplusbytes, with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and in partnership with West Africa Democracy Radio and the Sahel Institute for Democracy and Governance, is convening a high-level regional meeting themed, “Strengthening Democratic Resilience in West Africa: Combating Disinformation with Evidence, Collaboration and Innovations.”
The event scheduled for Thursday, 11th September 2025, at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, will bring together key stakeholders from academia, security agencies, government ministries, civil society, and the media to explore strategies aimed at tackling the disinformation menace and building democratic resilience.
To enrich the conversation with fresh evidence, Penplusbytes will launch its first-ever Disinformation Index Report, spotlighting the spread of election and post-election disinformation in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
Explaining the rationale for the report, Precious Ankomah, Director of Programmes at Penplusbytes, stated: “Recent reports show that disinformation has become a major threat to democracies worldwide. We saw clear evidence of this during the 2024 electoral cycles, across the continent and particularly in Ghana, where we monitored using our Disinformation Detecting Platform. The maiden index report using a framework we have developed assesses the risks, trends and impact of disinformation across media and social media platforms in these four countries.”
She added that the four countries were selected to provide a clear comparative analysis, highlighting “the stark contrast between the Sahel states, such as Mali and Burkina Faso, where disinformation is often used to legitimize authoritarian rule, and the coastal democracies, including Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, where we see disinformation surge during election periods.”
It is anticipated that this high-level meeting will lead to actionable insights and solutions aimed at developing country-level and regional strategies to enhance democratic resilience in West Africa.
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Mercy Aba Blankson
Email: aba.blankson@penplusbytes.org
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About Penplusbytes
Penplusbytes is a not-for-profit organization driving change through innovations in the following key areas: using new digital technologies to enable good governance and accountability, new media and innovations, climate and well-being, and enhancing oversight for effective utilisation of mining, oil and gas revenue and resources.