ISD partners Penplusbytes to tackle misinformation and disinformation
The Information Services Department (ISD) has partnered with Penplusbytes under the Ghana Anti-Disinformation Coalition (GADC) Project to equip information officers with practical skills to detect, verify and counter misinformation and disinformation.
The specialised Media and Information Literacy (MIL) training is expected to strengthen the capacity of ISD officers to authenticate information before disseminating it to the public.
The training covers fact-checking, verification techniques and the use of the AI-powered Kasagadi platform to enhance the integrity of public information.
Speaking at the opening of the two-day training in Accra, the Director of the ISD, Dr Winnifred Nafisa Mahama, said the initiative was important because the Department’s mandate required it to provide citizens with authentic government information to enable them to make informed decisions.
She said information officers were often confronted with unverified flyers, social media content and other materials purported to originate from government institutions, making verification an essential part of their work.
“Sometimes you leave your house, and your schoolmates will send you a flyer because your information officer working with government will send you a flyer. Can you authenticate whether this one is from Jubilee House or not?” she asked.
Dr Mahama said the same challenge applied to the ISD newsroom, where officers monitor the media, identify information for reporting and produce news stories.
She said officers needed to know whether their sources were verified and how to distinguish factual information from propaganda and falsehood.
“There are technical ways of doing that. So today, we are privileged to have with us a team from Penplusbytes who will take us through the various techniques and how to navigate around these turbulent times,” she said.
Dr Mahama urged participants to pay particular attention to the training because the sessions were practical and missing one step could affect their ability to properly apply the techniques being taught.
She advised participants to minimise distractions, including the use of WhatsApp and other applications, during the training.
“Pay attention. Learn, learn, learn,” she told the participants.
Dr Mahama said the training would not end with the completion of the two-day programme, explaining that participants would be expected to share the knowledge acquired with other ISD staff.
She said the first five participants who performed best in the assessment at the end of the training would form a core group of trainers who would support the Department to roll out similar training programmes across the country.
She said the initiative formed part of a broader partnership between ISD and Penplusbytes, noting that the two organisations had previously collaborated on activities aimed at strengthening media and information literacy in communities.
Dr Mahama said the ultimate objective of the partnership was to contribute to building an informed society capable of distinguishing truth from falsehood and making decisions based on reliable information.
She expressed appreciation to Penplusbytes and other partners for supporting the capacity building initiative and said the collaboration demonstrated the value of partnerships between government institutions and civil society organisations in addressing information challenges.
The training is being conducted in two cohorts, with the first cohort undergoing the programme for two days on 18th and 19th August 2026, while the second cohort is expected to participate the following week.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
