President John Dramani Mahama has broken his silence over the growing number of arrests involving social media commentators, particularly TikTokers.
According to Mahama, he is not aware of many of the arrests until they are brought to his attention through media reports.
Mahama, however, stressed the need for a broader national conversation on how TikTok and other emerging media platforms should be regulated.
The President disclosed that the government could simply direct the police not to arrest people over statements they make; such a move could raise questions about whether it reflects the position Ghanaians want to adopt.
He therefore called for a wider discussion on the appropriate balance between freedom of expression and the regulation of content on new media platforms.
Speaking at a town hall meeting with the Ghanaian community in New York on Friday, September 25, President Mahama stated, “There is a new term that I call information integrity. The media has become democratised. Anybody with a mobile phone can disseminate information. There is a new medium called TikTok. And it’s not only Ghana where people are wondering what to do to regulate TikTok. Because in all countries all over the world, we are wondering what to do to make sure that we have information integrity even with TikTok”.
“Anybody who has a phone just puts it in front of him and just says whatever he likes. Once they put it out, it has an algorithm that shares it,” he said.
He added, “As a leader, I don’t mind being insulted. I’ve been insulted. I was vilified. I was voted out of office. I have a tough skin; so if you insult me, I don’t mind,” he said.
“Definitely, a lot of these arrests, I don’t even know about them. I also hear about them in the media. Some of them have been tracked and arrested and all that. And sometimes, it worries me, because sometimes the reason for which the person has been arrested, really, they say, is because he insulted me,” he said.
Mahama said the challenge was determining where legitimate freedom of expression ended and conduct that required intervention, saying, “I can tell the IGP, we can go to Cabinet and say, let anybody insult anybody. Let’s leave it free for all. Don’t arrest anybody for anything they say. We can do that. But is that what we want?”
“So, let’s all decide what we want to do. So, that we either find a way of regulating it or we say, when it comes to free expression, anybody can say whatever he wants,” he said.
He further disclosed that the question of regulating new media should not be determined by government alone.
Mahama added, “What we should do is for the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to bring all the stakeholders together and hold a workshop or a forum.
“Let’s all collectively take a decision on what we want to do with the new media. Should the police get involved, or shouldn’t they get involved? How do we regulate it? You come out and tell us,” he said.
Meanwhile, Koku Anyidoho, a former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has quizzed President John Dramani Mahama on the approach adopted to address abusive language and harmful content on social media.
According to Koku Anyidoho, President John Mahama must stop playing the ostrich and take the bull by the horns, arguing that persons involved in the use of abusive language do not belong to the GJA nor any recognized Institution.
He further called on the government to first answer questions about how these institutions will deal with people who operate outside mainstream media.
In a post on X, Koku Anyidoho wrote, “As a Communications/PR/Media, Consultant/Practitioner/Expert, I ask:
What real role are all these Institutions supposed to play?
What roadmap is the GJA and MFWA supposed to put in place?
The persons involved in the use of abusive language do not belong to the GJA nor any recognized Institution.
What is going on is not taking place within the realms of mainstream media, so what do you want the National Media Commission to do?
The people involved are affiliated to political parties and politicians per the statements they make openly.
How are the above institutions going to regulate the activities of people who are on social media doing the bidding of politicians?
Religious Bodies are being insulted on a daily basis by a particular character doing the bidding of his paymasters, and you expect the Religious Bodies to avail themselves to be insulted more?
Why don’t we stop lying to ourselves: we know the origin (real source) of this barbaric culture of paying scoundrels to insult political opponents, so let’s stop playing the ostrich and take the bull by the horn.
If we don’t stop the pretence and deal with the Genesis of this disgusting social canker/cancer, we shall never get to the Revelation of the matter, and the Net Losers in this matter know themselves.
“Se kuku kuku nu gyae a; kike kike nu su be gyae”.
Watch the video below:
President @JDMahama on why he wants a stakeholders forum on social media and insults. He was speaking at a townhall meeting with the Ghanaian community in New York on Friday pic.twitter.com/FVo05PmI5D
— DailyGraphic GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) September 26, 2026
@ghnow_ The sister of Nana Yaw has issued a strong warning to people allegedly spreading misinformation about his death. She cautioned that Nana Yaw is from the Volta Region and warned those spreading false information to stop. “If you want to die, keep spreading misinformation,” she said. #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – ADAAMAINA
@ghnow_ “We Will Give You to the Gods to Deal With You” — Nana Yaw’s Sister Warns Against Misinformation #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
