DW Akademie in Ghana
Ghana is a long-standing pillar of press freedom in Africa. Ghana’s media professionals increasingly face threats and attacks, and in such conditions are vulnerable to bribes known as "brown envelopes." At the same time, media houses are struggling financially and are often subject to political interests.
However, digitalization provides citizens with new opportunities, including online payment platforms and faster Internet access. This, in turn, changes media habits, with social media now an important source of information. But with AI-generated content, disinformation, cyberbullying, and hate speech on the rise, journalists must have greater expertise in researching and fact-checking. Users, for their part, must have the necessary skills to critically evaluate media content.
Our activities
DW Akademie's projects in Ghana are aimed at both media professionals and their audiences.
Download our evaluation reports for West Africa below.
In 2021, our partner Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) established The Fourth Estate, a project where journalists produce in-depth investigative pieces that focus on anti-corruption. MFWA also offers journalists capacity-building workshops and a fellowship for aspiring investigative journalists. To further enhance resilience, DW Akademie provides training in conflict-sensitive and trauma-informed journalism.
Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is vital for today's audience. Building on the success of the Media Literacy Hub, our partner Penplusbytes (PPB) has launched a podcast-video series aimed at building a digitally resilient society. This particularly empowers people aged 15-35, as well as media professionals and the general public, to engage with the media more critically. PPB also promotes MIL among marginalized groups, including women in the informal sector, enabling them to approach disinformation and sensationalism more critically. Its new Disinformation Index allows misinformation to be tracked nationwide to prevent manipulation and encourage the formation of objective opinion-building.
Funding: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Program Director: Ama Kodjo
Locations: Greater Accra, Ashanti Region, Northern Region, Central Region, North East Region, Savannah Region, Volta Region
Local partners: Penplusbytes, Media Foundation for West Africa
Focus: Media Information Literacy, participation, qualification, Investigative Journalism
