Rev Canon Dr Confidence Bansah is the founder of the Centre for Religion and Public Life(CRPL-Ghana)
Rev Canon Dr Confidence Bansah, the founder of the Centre for Religion and Public Life (CRPL-Ghana), has expressed support for the government’s decision to finalise legislation aimed at criminalising misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and hate speech in Ghana.
In a post on X on Sunday, September 14, 2025, Dr Bansah described the development as timely, noting that it would bring much-needed sanity into public conversations, particularly regarding minority groups.
“We welcome the news of government finalising a law to criminalise misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and hate speech. We believe this will bring sanity into our conversations about minority groups in the country, particularly utterances against them,” he stated.
His reaction follows an announcement by the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, who disclosed that his ministry is putting finishing touches to a comprehensive legal framework targeting the spread of harmful online content.
Government finalises law to criminalise fake news
Speaking at the media launch of Cybersecurity Awareness 2025 on 3 September, the minister warned individuals who exploit digital platforms to propagate falsehoods and hate speech:
“The ministry is almost done with work on our misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and hate speech bill. Don’t say you weren’t warned. We will come after you, we will prosecute you, and we will jail you,” he declared.
According to him, the proposed bill is part of broader government efforts to strengthen digital safety, combat online fraud, and protect Ghanaians from cyberbullying.
AM/BAI
Will Ghana pass the Anti-Witchcraft Bill? Find out in the latest episode of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV in this conversation with Amnesty International:
