The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has held a three-day training workshop aimed at equipping Journalists, Religious Leaders, And Radio Personalities with skills to tackle Hate Speech, Misinformation, Disinformation And Violent Extremism narratives. The event took place from Wednesday 29th to Friday 31st October 2025 at the Modern City Hotel in Tamale.
The programme, themed “Empowering Voices for Peace: Training Journalists, Religious Leaders And Community Influencers to tackle Hate Speech, Misinformation, Disinformation And Violent Extremism narratives” brought together media professionals, faith-based actors and community leaders to promote responsible communication and peacebuilding.
The opening session featured remarks from Ms. Melody Azinim, Peace and Governance Programme Analyst at UNDP, who emphasized the critical role, credible information plays in sustaining peace and unity in our community.
A solidarity message was delivered by Mr. George Sarpong of the National Media Commission (NMC). He encouraged journalists to uphold truth, avoid bias, and use their platforms to “heal rather than harm” society through their reporting.
A representative from the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Northern Region, also addressed participants. He urged journalists to embrace accuracy, fairness, and fact-checking in their work, stressing that “lies travel faster than truth,” therefore media practitioners must verify information before publishing to avoid misinformation and disinformation that could incite the public.
Throughout the training, participants benefited from insightful presentations from experienced facilitators, including:
Mr. George Sarpong (NMC) – “Building Media Resilience to Counter Violent Extremism – National Media Commission (NMC) Perspective.”
Mr. Eugene Yirbuor, Senior Conflict Advisor & Acting Officer Director, Democracy, Rights and Governance Office, USAID) took participants through “Capacity Building to Enhance Media’s Role in Fact-Based, Conflict-Sensitive Reporting and Information Hygiene for Peace.”
Ms. Roslena Ahiable, Project Manager, DUBAWA West Africa, also took us through Understanding Information Disorder and Digital Tools for Fact-Checking.
Mr. Albert Yelgang of WANEP-Ghana also spoke on Violent Extremism and the practical approaches to preventing radicalization and conflict.
After three days of intensive training, the programme concluded on Friday 31st October 2025. United Nation Development Program (UNDP) charged participants to become ambassadors of peace by sharing the knowledge gained and adhering to the ethics of their professions.
Participants were encouraged to use their platforms to influence positive narratives, combat misinformation / disinformation, and promote unity within their communities.
