Ghana has urged world governments to move beyond declarations and deliver concrete steps to counter the growing threat of disinformation, warning that artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating the spread of false information at an unprecedented scale.
Dr. Winnifred Nafisa Mahama, Acting Director of Ghana’s Information Services Department (ISD), made the call on Monday at the 48th Session of the Committee on Information at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where the session runs from April 27 to May 8, 2026.
Dr. Mahama told delegates that misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech, amplified by artificial intelligence, are eroding trust, fuelling division, and undermining peace and security. She stressed that the moment for declarations has passed and that effective implementation must follow.
Ghana aligned itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the Group of 77 and China and expressed support for the United Nations Global Principles for Information Integrity. Dr. Mahama, however, insisted that those principles carry weight only if backed by targeted capacity-building programmes designed specifically for developing countries.
She identified the widening digital divide as a structural obstacle, arguing that equitable access to information requires sustained investment not only in broadband and digital infrastructure, but also in traditional platforms such as radio and community media, which remain essential in many parts of the world.
Dr. Mahama further called for the responsible and human rights-based use of AI to expand access to information across diverse linguistic communities, and underscored the importance of media and information literacy in strengthening public resilience against disinformation.
She also stressed the need to protect journalists and media professionals, whose role in upholding transparency and accountability she described as indispensable.
Ghana called for strengthened financial and operational support for the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) and United Nations Information Centres (UNICs), stating that both institutions are central to delivering credible information at the country level in multiple languages.
The Committee on Information, a subsidiary body of the General Assembly, oversees the work of the Department of Global Communications and provides guidance on its policies, programmes, and activities.
Dr. Mahama concluded by reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to multilateral cooperation in building a more inclusive and resilient global information environment, as concerns intensify over the misuse of emerging technologies to manipulate public discourse worldwide.
