The Executive Director of Penplusbyte, Jerry Sam, has expressed concern over the rapid spread of rumours and false information through local languages, describing the trend as “spreading like wildfire.”

According to him, tackling the growing menace requires a deliberate effort to counter misinformation, disinformation and malinformation, particularly across the country’s airwaves where false narratives often gain wide acceptance.

Sam made the remarks in Tamale during a three-day training workshop for selected media practitioners and staff of the Information Services Department drawn from the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper West and Upper East regions.

The workshop focused on equipping participants with the skills and tools needed to identify, verify and combat false information at both the local and national levels. He noted that misinformation circulated in local languages is particularly difficult to fact-check, making it easier for misleading information to spread unchecked within communities.

To address the challenge, Penplusbyte, a Ghanaian non-profit organisation, in collaboration with its partners, is implementing the Ghana Anti-Disinformation Coalition (GADC) project.

The three-year initiative seeks to reduce the spread and impact of misinformation and disinformation through collaboration, research and the use of artificial intelligence-driven solutions.

The project is built on three key pillars: research into disinformation in local languages, the development of an AI-powered fact-checking marketplace known as Kasadadi, and coalition building among key stakeholders.

Also speaking at the workshop, the Head of Programmes at Penplusbyte, Precious Ankomah, lamented the increasing volume of misinformation produced and shared daily. She urged journalists to become familiar with fact-checking tools and techniques to help curb the spread of false information on radio, television and digital platforms.

Some participants who spoke to Northern Regional Correspondent Baba Kamil Mohammed commended Penplusbyte for organising the training.

They pledged to apply the knowledge gained and replicate the training in their respective media organisations to help reduce the spread of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation.

Story by Baba Kamil Mohammed, Northern Region