The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) will convene a regional media summit in Accra, Ghana, on 9 July to examine the growing impact of disinformation on democratic governance across West Africa.
The summit, themed “Defending Democracy in West Africa: The Role of Media,” will bring together journalists, policymakers, civil society leaders, academics and representatives of regional and international organisations to discuss strategies for strengthening information integrity and safeguarding democratic institutions.
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The event also marks seven years of CJID’s work in Ghana through DUBAWA Ghana, its fact-checking initiative established to combat misinformation, improve media literacy and support election integrity.
Ahead of the summit, CJID will organise a regional Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) workshop for 15 journalists drawn from across West Africa.
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According to the organisation, the training is designed to strengthen participants’ capacity to verify digital content, investigate coordinated influence operations and respond to emerging challenges posed by artificial intelligence, synthetic media and cross-border disinformation campaigns.
The summit will feature a keynote address by the Executive Secretary of Ghana’s National Media Commission, George Sarpong, alongside remarks by Ghana’s Minister of State for Government Communications.
Representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union, the United Nations, diplomatic missions and development partners are also expected to participate.
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A high-level panel discussion will explore policy and media responses to the spread of disinformation across the sub-region, with contributions from journalists, academics, media development experts and advocates of press freedom.
Speaking ahead of the summit, CJID Executive Director, Akintunde Babatunde said the increasing sophistication of artificial intelligence, synthetic media and coordinated influence operations presents new challenges for democratic societies.
“The quality of our democracies will increasingly depend on the quality of our information ecosystems,” he said, adding that stronger regional collaboration and better-equipped journalists are essential to protecting public trust and strengthening democratic accountability.
Founded as a pan-African media development organisation, CJID operates across 13 African countries and leads initiatives aimed at promoting investigative journalism, fact-checking, media innovation and digital resilience. Through DUBAWA, the organisation has supported media organisations and journalists across West Africa in tackling misinformation and improving public access to verified information.
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