President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that social media platforms, particularly TikTok, have become useful tools for monitoring public concerns and identifying areas where his government needs to improve.
According to the President, he pays attention to complaints and criticisms shared by citizens online and often forwards issues concerning government performance to the relevant ministers for action.
Mahama explained that public feedback, including criticism from people with different political affiliations, provides valuable insight into the challenges facing citizens and helps him make better decisions as a leader.
He further disclosed that he does not take offence when citizens accuse his administration of heading in the wrong direction.
Speaking during an engagement with the Ghanaian Community in Moscow, President Mahama stated, “I don’t mind if people tell me that I’m leading the country in the wrong direction. I’m trying to do my best. Criticism helps me to do better”.
“Sometimes I go on the media, and I see something, and I call the minister and I say, ‘Hey, my friend, what is happening in your sector?'” he recounted.
“So all your TikToks and things, don’t think I don’t see them. I see them,” President Mahama said.
He further added, “That is how you solve some of these things”.
President Mahama also noted that the growing influence of new media presents an opportunity for government to receive information directly from citizens.
He added, “The new media is an advantage because it gives us information in real time”.
“The more we see the danger signs that somebody is leading us the wrong way, we must, all of us, not based on partisan leanings, all of us must say no, we’re not going in the right direction”, he said.
In related news, some weeks ago President John Dramani Mahama broke 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.
Watch the video below:
JM Meets Ghanaians in Moscow: “I don’t mind if people tell me I’m leading the country in the wrong direction. Criticism helps me to do better, and so all your TikToks, don’t think I don’t see them. I see them.” — President Mahama. https://t.co/sYJgPu17hW
— The1957News (@The1957News) October 29, 2026
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