KAS Ghana climaxes its workshop for queen mothers in the northern sector

The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Ghana Office, in partnership with National Queen Mothers Ghana, has organised a workshop on disinformation and misinformation for queen mothers in the five northern regions: Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West.

The climax of the 6th Annual Queen Mothers Workshop, held in Tamale, was under the theme: “Combating Disinformation and Misinformation: The Role of Queen Mothers in Ensuring Good Governance.”

The training workshop, designed to provide practical tools to help traditional leaders address misinformation and disinformation, attracted more than fifty queen mothers from the five regions.

In his address, the Director of Programmes for KAS Ghana, Dr Joseph A Darmoe, underscored the dangers of disinformation and misinformation and the urgent need to tackle the challenge.

“Mis and disinformation are dangerous. They create confusion about what is true and what is false. They can damage reputations, influence elections, fuel ethnic or political tensions, and even lead to violence.

"In a society where information spreads very quickly especially through social media false stories often travel faster than facts.

“This is why your role as trusted custodians of your communities is so essential. People trust you not only because of your position, but because of your integrity, wisdom and closeness to the people. In times of confusion, your voice can restore clarity.

“We want to strengthen your confidence in addressing it, and we also want to strengthen your network among yourselves. We hope this workshop will offer practical tools to help in addressing it,” he added.

A lecturer at the Centre for Peace and Security Research, Dr Elvis B Botah, noted in his presentation that traditional authority structures in Ghana remain highly respected, shaping social life, norms and local governance, especially in rural and peri-urban areas.

“Queen mothers hold particular influence because their authority is tied to culture and matrilineal or patrilineal heritage in many ethnic groups.

“They serve as connectors between formal state institutions and traditional communities, especially where trust in modern institutions is low,” he said.

Dr Botah, however, lamented the challenges facing queen mothers in Ghana and stressed the need to address them.

“Many queen mothers are excluded from formal decision-making spaces such as regional or national Houses of Chiefs, and as such, advocacy must continue for institutional inclusion.

“Cultural communication norms sometimes restrict women’s roles in public political discourse, and this must be addressed,” he stated.

On his part, Dr James Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr, a lecturer at the University of Professional Studies Accra and facilitator for the workshop, admonished the queen mothers to always fact-check information they receive.

“I will entreat the queen mothers to always consider the agenda or motive behind a story by fact-checking and double-checking before acting.

“They should promptly deal with rumours, gossip or any false information, especially half-truths.

“Most importantly, they should appoint men and women of proven character who can stay above reproach into regulatory positions,” he added.

Certificates of participation were presented to the queen mothers at the end of the workshop.

About KAS Ghana

The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung is a political foundation based in Germany whose mission is to promote democracy, the rule of law, social market economy and human rights worldwide.

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