Senior Research Officer at CDD-Ghana, Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante, says the growing debate over speech regulation in Ghana reflects a wider global struggle to balance free expression with accountability and public safety.

Speaking on PM Express on Tuesday, Dr Pumpuni Asante cautioned against broad attempts to criminalise speech, insisting that Ghana’s repeal of criminal libel laws in 2001 was intended to limit the circumstances under which speech could attract criminal sanctions.

“We got rid of criminal libel in 2001 with the expectation that really there have to be very limited circumstances for criminalising speech,” he stated.

His comments come amid rising political tensions following a petition by the opposition New Patriotic Party to the diplomatic community over what it describes as growing suppression of dissent and politically motivated arrests under the Mahama administration.

The NPP alleged that state institutions were being used to intimidate political opponents, journalists and critics through selective prosecutions and the use of sections of the Criminal Offences Act.

The party cited the arrest and detention of Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe over comments allegedly made about a judge as an example of what it called political persecution.

Reacting to the broader debate, Dr Pumpuni Asante said the emergence of digital platforms had complicated issues surrounding free speech globally.

“But as we have moved into the digital space, the concerns have come back again, mostly because of the variety of speech that may be misleading or misinforming, or deliberately harmful,” he explained.

According to him, Ghana is not alone in grappling with the challenge of regulating harmful speech without undermining democratic freedoms.

“It is a global issue that we are grappling with — what is the best way to find the balance between the right to free speech and the issues of accountability or security,” he said.

Dr Pumpuni Asante stressed that concerns over harmful speech should not be dismissed lightly.

“These issues are real; they are not something to be joked with,” he added.