Accra: Ghana stands at a delicate crossroads where facts must reclaim their rightful place above factions. Over the last 14 months, national dialogue, especially around some state institutions such as the Mineral Income and Investment Fund (MIIF), has shown how easily perception can masquerade as proof. The media’s role remains indispensable, and so too is its responsibility to verify before amplifying.
According to Ghana News Agency, a nation that is increasingly striving for transparency and progress cannot allow conjecture to replace confirmation or let alternative facts fracture institutional credibility. Truth must be told, traced, verified, and protected. As a former non-executive chair of various institutions, including MIIF and the now further transformed Labadi Beach Hotel, one remains invested in their fortunes because stewardship does not end with tenure. Well-run bodies pursue continuous improvement through dialogue with proven past executives and supervisory leaders. This is the spirit of Kaizen, indicating progress through learning, not wrongdoing.
It serves the public interest for media houses to invite current and former Chief Executives, including those at MIIF, to present clear accounts to the public or, where necessary, in private. Investigations into potential wrongdoing must proceed transparently, with principals placing documents, timelines, and decisions on the table for all to see. Journalism is not the amplification of suspicion; it is the clarification of truth.
Anyone mentioned or implicated should be approached and afforded the opportunity to present their side of the facts before their names enter the headlines. Due process is not a courtesy; it is the foundation of trust and credibility. Ghana’s media space is admired for its freedom and vibrancy, but freedom must walk with fairness.
During a discussion on an Accra-based radio station, a representative from the Bank of Ghana called in to correct an alternative fact about MIIF. Such moments show the need for evidence-based dialogue in national discourse. Media remains one of democracy’s greatest guardians, with a duty to report with accuracy, balance, and fairness. Before any public institution or individual is discussed, it is right and ethical to approach the parties concerned to clarify or present their side of the facts.
A single broadcast can illuminate or inflame. When conjecture replaces confirmation, institutions suffer, reputations erode, and public trust falters. The spread of alternative facts is already affecting some state institutions and private citizens. If left unchecked, it may discourage capable Africans from accepting national duty and from transferring critical skills to the public sphere.
IMANI Africa and some of its researchers and Fellows deserve commendation for aspects of their work that have contributed to national awareness and accountability. However, all civic actors must remain cautious about the reliability and motivation of sources. Oversight must be objective, not opportunistic, to avoid eroding confidence in state institutions and weakening the collective pursuit of good governance.
Whistleblowers who peddle falsehoods for selfish interests should be publicly exposed to deter the furnishing of watchdogs and media houses with alternative facts that advance private agendas. Where the law provides, people should be held accountable, including possible prosecution for causing reputational or economic harm to state institutions and individuals.
In many state institutions, current and former Non-Executive Chairs and Chief Executives have yet to meet face-to-face. MIIF is one of them. As a former Chairman of MIIF, one still looks forward to such meetings. The absence of a meeting does not prevent investigation but creates room for confusion and weakens institutional memory.
Over the last 36 weeks, multiple narratives have circulated across television, radio, and social media. However unintended, they risk harming MIIF’s credibility and, by extension, Ghana’s reputation for continuity, integrity and predictability. Markets price uncertainty, and citizens ultimately bear the cost of it.
Misinformation may garner applause in the short term, but it ultimately inflicts lasting damage. Nations build trust through facts, not factions. Institutions like MIIF form part of the scaffolding for future prosperity. Ghana should not chip away at that structure with politicisation or partial information.
State institutions are not assets of the government of the day, and they are not trophies for the opposition. They belong to Ghana. The public interest is best served when facts lead and when all parties respect due process. Accountability must rest on actual facts, not on alternative or self-serving narratives.
Respected newsrooms can help move the national conversation from heat to light. The best journalism promotes understanding rather than echo. A balanced, fact-led discussion may not resolve every question at once, but it will sharpen debate, model accountability, and rebuild confidence.
This is not theatre, and it is not trial by microphone. It is responsible reporting in the public interest. It safeguards reputations where warranted and exposes wrongdoing where proven. Standards and fairness are not obstacles to truth; they are the pathway.
Media leaders, public officials, private citizens, and all who care about Ghana’s democracy are duty bound to help the current administration govern well by doing what is right. This is essential because when any government fails, the cost is borne by everyone and by future generations.
Real facts, not alternative facts, must set the pace. Let documents speak. Let truth breathe. Let fairness guide the words and the work. If all choose patience over haste, evidence over conjecture, and country over faction, all will strengthen trust at home and respect abroad.