Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Kathleen Addy, has urged the public, particularly young people, to verify information before sharing it to help curb the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
She said many false or harmful claims spread because people share them without taking time to establish their accuracy, warning that individuals must take responsibility for the information they circulate, especially online.
Speaking to the press at CivicFest Accra 2026 on Friday, October 30, she said: “If we pause, reflect, and even verify before we share, a lot of misinformation and disinformation will not go far.”
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CivicFest Accra 2026 is being organised by the NCCE, with support from the French Embassy in Ghana, under the theme “Youth Media Literacy and Disinformation Awareness Campaign” to promote media literacy, responsible information sharing and digital citizenship among young people.
According to Addy, the festival brought together students from six schools for a strategic campaign against misinformation and disinformation through drama, dance, music, poetry and art.
She explained that the approach allows students to interpret the issues in their own way and better understand how false information can affect individuals, families, schools and the country.
“The performance is also an interpretation of the theme that we are looking at by the students. How do they understand the issues around misinformation, disinformation and so on?” she said.
Addy added that the programme was designed to make civic education more engaging than the traditional format of speeches and public forums.
She also cautioned young people about the possible legal consequences of spreading harmful information.
“We're also helping the students understand the consequences of being caught up in the web of misinformation, disinformation...it is a criminal activity that will bring you before the law for which you will face the consequences,” she said.
The NCCE chairperson encouraged people to resist the urge to share content that triggers an immediate emotional reaction, particularly material intended to target or hurt others.
“If all of us should just stop sharing information that we can't verify, information that looks like it's targeting somebody, or information that is designed to cause pain. If we recognise that and we decide that on principle, I will not share this, it will go a long way to help the situation,” she stated.
She said CivicFest seeks to help students take ownership of the lessons by allowing them to demonstrate what they have learnt and encouraging them to become ambassadors for responsible information sharing.
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