Media Literacy and Youth Empowerment for Peaceful Elections
Year of Implementation: 2024
Background
Ahead of Ghana’s December 2024 general elections, rising misinformation, disinformation, and AI generated deepfakes threatened electoral integrity and social cohesion. Recognizing youth vulnerability, especially in Northern Ghana’s underserved regions (Northern, North East, Upper East, and Savannah), Savana Signatures launched this initiative to counter false narratives and promote peaceful civic engagement.
Strategy
- The project adopted a youth-centered approach to build resilience against harmful content
- Capacity Building in media literacy, fact checking, and peace advocacy.
- Partnered with the School of Media Studies to develop a practical counter-misinformation manual.
- Advocacy & Awareness to promote non-violent dialogue and responsible online behavior ahead of elections.
Key Highlights
- 200 youth influencers equipped to detect and counter fake news, reducing misinformation risks.
- Enhanced social cohesion through youth-led peace initiatives in Northern Ghana’s hotspot regions.
- First-ever localized toolkit for combating AI-driven disinformation in electoral contexts.
- The project laid critical groundwork for informed, violence-free elections while amplifying youth voices in democratic processes.