The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) is set to convene a major media and governance gathering in Accra as concerns grow over the impact of disinformation on democratic processes across West Africa.

The CJID Ghana Media Summit will take place on Thursday, July 9, 2026, bringing together journalists, policymakers, civil society actors, academics and regional institutions under the theme “Defending Democracy in West Africa — The Role of Media.”

The summit marks seven years of CJID’s operations in Ghana through its fact-checking initiative DUBAWA Ghana, which has been involved in election-related verification work, media literacy training and collaboration with civic organisations, including the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO).

Ahead of the main event, CJID will also hold a regional Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) workshop for 15 journalists from across West Africa. The training is expected to strengthen participants’ capacity to investigate online content, identify coordinated influence operations and address the growing challenge of AI-generated and synthetic media.

Speaking ahead of the summit, CJID Executive Director Akintunde Babatunde stressed the increasing importance of information integrity in sustaining democracy in the region.

“The quality of our democracies will increasingly depend on the quality of our information ecosystems,” he said.

He added that addressing disinformation requires stronger collaboration among journalists, institutions and regional stakeholders, as well as improved investigative capacity within the media space.

The summit will open with remarks from Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, followed by a keynote address from the Executive Secretary of Ghana’s National Media Commission (National Media Commission), George Sarpong, and a special address from the Minister of State for Government Communications.

The programme will also feature contributions from representatives of diplomatic missions, ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations and development partners, alongside a documentary showcasing DUBAWA Ghana’s seven-year journey.

A high-level panel discussion will examine strategic priorities for media development and responses to disinformation in Ghana and across West Africa.

CJID says the summit is aimed at moving beyond analysis of the problem to practical solutions that strengthen information ecosystems and democratic accountability across the region.