The 2025 West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA) opened in Accra with a strong call for collaboration between the media, government, and digital actors to strengthen democracy through technology.

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Mr Mohammed Adams Sukparu, said Africa was experiencing a wave of digital transformation—ranging from national identification systems to mobile money and online services—that was making life simpler and more connected.

In Ghana, he cited initiatives such as the Ghana Card, Mobile Money Interoperability, and the Ghana.gov platform as examples of digital systems enhancing public service delivery and promoting financial inclusion.

Mr Sukparu emphasised that while technology could be a powerful force for good, it must be used to serve citizens and protect their rights. Quoting the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, he said, “Technology can be a force for good, but only if it serves people, protects their rights and helps bridge divides rather than deepen them.”

The Head of Division for Democracy and Good Governance at the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Ebenezer Asiedu, speaking on behalf of the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fattah Moussa, praised the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) for sustaining the regional conversation on media and democracy.

He noted that ECOWAS valued its partnership with the MFWA, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding in 2023. The collaboration, he said, had helped train journalists, regulators, and policymakers across several member states in media ethics, disinformation management, and hate speech mitigation.

In his welcome address, the Executive Director of the MFWA, Mr Sulemana Braimah, said the conference had become the foremost platform for reflection on journalism and media in the sub-region. While acknowledging the potential of technology, he stressed that development could not be achieved without trust, transparency, and respect for human rights.

“Technology cannot drive development if it is not accompanied by trust, inclusion, and accountability,” he said, highlighting the role of journalism in building that trust.

Mr Braimah also revealed that through the West Africa DPI Journalism Fellowship, 65 journalists from 10 countries had been trained and had produced over 370 stories on digital transformation issues.

BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG & ALBERTA BONSI