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DUBAWA, Ghana’s fact-checking and verification project under the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development has held the first of three residential training on fact-checking for first-voters in Kumasi.
At least 20 participants selected from various parts of the Ashanti and Oti Regions of Ghana converged in the Ashanti Regional capital from October 21-22, 2024, under the German Embassy-sponsored project to combat disinformation and promote media and information literacy among Ghanaians, particularly first-time voters.
[Participant practising the right way to fold a ballot paper]
Similar training will be held in Tamale and Cape Coast between October 24-25 and October 28-29, 2024, to reach a wider range of first-time voters.
The Election Information Literacy & Fact-checking Training for First-Time voters is meant to equip participants with skills to detect and fact-check misinformation and disinformation as Ghana heads to the polls and also for them to understand the complexities of the media.
[Simulated voting experience]
[Simulated voting experience]
The training also emphasises the importance of civic participation and the impact of single and collective votes on Ghana’s democracy.
The participants were taken through major topics of concern in the elections, including, Understanding Information Disorder, Elections and the Role of MIL, Fact-checking as a response to Information Disorder, Digital Verification Skills And Tools (Image Verification, Video Verification, DUBAWA audio, and DUBAWA Chatbot.
A major highlight of the two-day training in Kumasi was the simulated voting experience conducted by Mr Paul Baah of the National Commission of Civic Education. Through the mock elections, participants observed and practised crucial polling station etiquettes and the right ways to handle the ballot paper. They were also taken through practical fact-checking sessions.
Participants of the first session of the Election Information Literacy & fact-checking Training for First-Time Voters in Kumasi were made up of secondary and tertiary school students between the ages of 18 and 25.
Participants from all over the north of Ghana will attend the Tamale leg of the training, while Cape Coast will host attendees from the Central, Volta, Western, and Greater Accra Regions.