Open Foundation West Africa Urges Journalists to become Wikipedians

As Ghana prepares for its general elections on December 7, 2024, Open Foundation West Africa (OFWA), a nonprofit organization, is urging journalists to embrace the role of Wikipedians to help combat misinformation and disinformation.

Ghana, a beacon of democracy in Africa since the inception of its Fourth Republic in 1992, has consistently demonstrated its commitment to democratic principles through peaceful and credible elections. However, the tensions and events surrounding the 2020 elections have raised concerns about whether the 2024 polls will be free of violence and misinformation.

In light of these concerns, OFWA organized a one-day training session for journalists, aimed at equipping them with tools to counter misinformation and disinformation in the lead-up to the elections.

Mission of Open Foundation West Africa

The foundation’s mission is to expand the reach of open movement activities in West Africa. It focuses on open education programs, digitizing resources, preserving cultural and heritage items for educational purposes, and promoting content about the West African region on platforms like Wikipedia.

Focus on Ghana Polls 2024

In an interview with GhanaNewsOnline, the Executive Director of OFWA, Jael Serwaa Boateng, highlighted the importance of the training session as part of the foundation’s broader efforts for peaceful elections.

“Today’s program is one of many initiatives aimed at ensuring peaceful elections in Ghana,” she explained.

“We are spearheading a project called Ghana Polls 2024, which focuses on driving election-related information onto Wikipedia and other Wikimedia platforms. This includes training media personnel and our volunteer editors to identify misinformation and disinformation trends, fact-check them, and ensure they are corrected.”

She added that the goal is to reduce the spread of false information and ensure that the content on Wikipedia is accurate and reliable.

Post-Election Content Creation Drive

Jael also announced plans for a post-election initiative: “On December 8 and 9, 2024, we will host an editing marathon, bringing together our volunteer editors to generate election-related content for Wikipedia. This effort will rely heavily on accurate and verified information provided by journalists during and after the election.”

The initiative underscores the foundation’s commitment to fostering transparency, promoting accurate information, and supporting Ghana’s democratic processes.

By Madjid Diallo || ghananewsonline.com.gh