The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has cautioned against the misuse of freedom of expression to justify threats, incitement and the deliberate spread of false information.

Speaking when Parliament reconvened on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, for an emergency sitting, Bagbin said the national conversation on regulating social media and addressing misinformation must strike a careful balance between protecting free expression and ensuring accountability.

His comments come amid renewed discussions in Ghana over the regulation of social media platforms, particularly TikTok, following concerns raised by President John Dramani Mahama about misinformation, insults and other forms of harmful content circulating online.

President Mahama recently called for a national stakeholder dialogue on how Ghana should approach regulation of TikTok and other new media platforms while ensuring that any measures adopted do not undermine freedom of expression.

The President tasked the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) with convening stakeholders to discuss the issue.

Addressing Parliament, Speaker Bagbin applauded President Mahama for initiating the conversation and urged stakeholders to approach the issue with restraint and inclusiveness.

“The national conversation should, in my view, be broad, inclusive, and measured. It should not become an exercise in suppressing dissent or shielding public officials from legitimate criticism. Neither should legitimate concerns about freedom of expression become an excuse for threats, incitement, deliberate falsehoods or the reckless abuse of others. The President’s proposal itself recognises this balance.”

President Mahama, speaking at a Town Hall Meeting with Ghanaians in New York, acknowledged the difficulty of regulating new media without undermining freedom of expression.

He said Ghana needed to collectively determine how it wanted to deal with the growing influence of platforms such as TikTok and whether existing enforcement mechanisms were appropriate.

Source: Citinews