The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana and the President of the Executive Committee of the Association of African Election Authorities (AAEA), Mrs. Jean Mensa, joined 40 heads of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) at a meeting to develop guidelines to govern the use of social media during elections.

The meeting which was in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) was hosted by the AUC in Addis Ababa.

The workshop, which took place from 6th to 7th September 2023, focused on reviewing a draft document on Principles and Guidelines for the Use of Digital and Social Media in Africa. The document aims to provide guidance on how EMBs and relevant stakeholders can use digital and social media to promote voter education and participation, while also mitigating the risks of misinformation and disinformation.

In her opening remarks at the workshop, Mrs. Mensa lauded the initiative as being well-timed, given the increasing threat of fake news to elections and democracy. She urged participants to harness the advantages of digital and social media to counter the harms posed by their misuse. She also encouraged participants to own the document, propagate it and engage key stakeholders on the guidelines in order to reap the full benefits.

The workshop was a valuable opportunity for EMBs to share experiences and best practices on the use of digital and social media in elections. The input from participants will be incorporated into the final draft of the document, which is expected to be adopted at the 11th General Assembly meeting of the AAEA later this year.

Wohonsem