President John Dramani Mahama has said he does not mind being insulted as a leader and that he has a “crocodile skin”.
But he insists that Ghanaians must collectively decide how to regulate TikTok and the “New Media.”
Speaking at a townhall meeting with the Ghanaian community in New York on Friday (Sept 25), President Mahama said he was unaware of many of the arrests of social media commentators and has called on stakeholders to come together and determine how to regulate TikTok and the broader new media landscape.
President Mahama advocates for stakeholders forum on TikTok regulation President Mahama called for stakeholders forum to decide how Ghana should regulate TikTok and other new media platforms which have become channels for misinformation, disinformation and insults
He said TikTok had become a global concern because of its impact on information integrity.
“There is a new term that I call information integrity. The media has become democratised. Anybody with a mobile phone can disseminate information.
There is a new media called TikTok. And it’s not only Ghana where people are wondering what to do to regulate TikTok. Because in all countries all over the world, we are wondering what to do to make sure that we have information integrity even with TikTok,” the President said.
President Mahama was responding to question on the arrest of persons in connection with misinformation and disinformation at the townhall meeting with the Ghanaian community in New York
“What we should do is the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), bring all the stakeholders together and hold a workshop or a forum.
“Let’s all collectively take a decision on what we want to do with the new media. Should the police get involved or they shouldn’t get involved? How do we regulate it? You come out and tell us,” he said.
He said government has given the responsibility to the GJA and MFWA to organise the forum, and its recommendations will be placed before government for guidelines on how such matters should be handled.
President Mahama added that many of the recent arrests related to insults and misinformation had come to his attention through the media, and sometimes persons were arrested allegedly for insulting him.
“Definitely, a lot of these arrests, I don’t even know about them. I also hear them on the media. Some of them have been tracked and arrested and all that. And sometimes, it worries me, because sometimes the reason for which the person has been arrested, really, they say, is because he insulted me,” he said.
Traditional media comparison
He said unlike traditional media such as the “Daily Graphic and Channel One” where journalists put their reputation behind stories, TikTok allows anyone to post anything, with its algorithm amplifying similar content
“Anybody who has a phone just puts it in front of him and just says whatever he likes. Once they put it out, it has an algorithm that shares it,” he said.
He said Ghanaians had taken the platform to a new level with insults, with some hiding behind anonymous accounts to publish vile content.
“As a leader, I don’t mind being insulted. I’ve been insulted. I was vilified. I was voted out of office. I have a tough skin; so if you insult me, I don’t mind,” he said.
Choice
The President said government could choose to allow unrestricted free expression without police action, but questioned whether that is what Ghanaians want.
“I can tell the IGP, we can go to Cabinet and say, let anybody insult anybody. Let’s leave it free for all. Don’t arrest anybody for anything they say. We can do that. But is that what we want?” he asked.
He said government will be guided by the collective decision of stakeholders on whether and how the police should be involved in regulating new media.
President Mahama said police action could sometimes go to the extreme, and once arrests begin, it becomes difficult to know where to stop.
“So, let’s all decide what we want to do. So, that we either find a way of regulating it or we say, when it comes to free expression, anybody can say whatever he wants,” he said.
He said while Ghanaians cherish free expression, it should not be mistaken for absolute licence, citing an example that threatening the US President would attract swift action.
NATIONAL STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ON HATE SPEECH, ABUSIVE ONLINE CONTENT AND RESPONSIBLE DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
I write on behalf of H.E. the President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama, to request that the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Jointly convene a national stakeholder engagement on the growing Incidence of hate speech, abusive language and other harmful content on social media and emerging digital platforms.
2. The media environment has changed significantly. Public discourse is increasingly shaped not only by traditional media organisations, which operate within established professional and regulatory frameworks, but also by individual bloggers, content creators, influencers and users of platforms such as TikTok. Many of these actors have substantial audiences and influence but are not necessarily subject to recognised editorial standards or clear accountability
3. This development presents a difficult but important public-policy challenge. While hate speech, threats, incitement and other unlawful conduct must be addressed, legitimate criticism, political commentary, satire and dissent must not be criminalised. The President Is particularly concerned that disproportionate arrests over mere criticism or politically charged commentary may be counterproductive, create undeserving martyrs and undermine public confidence in
4. There is, therefore, an urgent need for a coherent national roadmap that protects freedom of expression while providing an appropriate and proportionate response to genuinely harmful digital content.
5. Accordingly, the MFWA and GJA are requested to lead a broad, stakeholder-inclusive process, among others:
- the National Media Commission;
- the Ghana Police Service;
- relevant religious bodies;
- civi society organisations;
- traditional media organisations;
- social media content creators, bloggers and influencers;
- legal and human-rights experts;
- representatives of digital platforms, where possible; and
- relevant state regulatory and security institutions
6. The engagement should examine the adequacy of the existing legal, regulatory and Institutional framework; clarify the distinction between lawful criticism and unlawful speech; propose practical guidelines for law-enforcement agencies; and recommend appropriate policy. legislative, regulatory and non-legislative measures.
7. The process should also consider public education, media and digital iteracy, professional and ethical standards for online content creators, accessible complaints and redress mechanisms, and alternatives to arrest and prosecution in cases that do not involve threats, incitement, violence or other clearly criminal conduct.
8. The MFWA and GJA are kindly requested to submit a proposed framework and timetable for stakeholder engagement, together with recommendations arising from the process, for the President’s consideration.
9. Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration
