Dancehall artiste Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., popularly known as Shatta Wale, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to support the development of a clear legal framework to address social media abuse, defamation and harassment while protecting freedom of expression.
In an open letter dated September 28, 2026, Shatta Wale said Ghana needed a balanced approach to dealing with harmful online content without undermining the constitutional rights of citizens to express their views.
His proposal follows President Mahama’s recent call for a national stakeholder discussion on the regulation of TikTok and other emerging digital platforms.
President Mahama, speaking at a town hall meeting with Ghanaians in New York on September 25, raised concerns about misinformation, insults and other challenges associated with social media. He subsequently called for stakeholders, including the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), to help determine how new media should be regulated.
Shatta Wale said the problem of public ridicule and unverified allegations was not new but had been amplified by social media platforms, where individuals can quickly publish content to large audiences.
According to him, the consequences of online abuse now extend beyond celebrities to traditional leaders, businesspeople, journalists, public officials and ordinary citizens.
He stressed that freedom of speech and media freedom guaranteed by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution must remain protected. However, he argued that those freedoms should not be used as justification for threats, harassment or the deliberate spread of damaging falsehoods.
The musician proposed that Parliament, the Judiciary, security agencies, media organisations and civil society groups work together to establish clearly defined rules for serious and proven online misconduct.
He said any framework should include due process and independent judicial oversight while protecting legitimate criticism, journalism, satire and political expression.
Shatta Wale also argued that citizens should not be punished simply for criticising the President, public officials or other public figures.
Another proposal was for social media platforms operating in Ghana to strengthen account verification mechanisms, potentially using existing identification systems such as the Ghana Card and SIM registration.
He further suggested that platforms should cooperate with lawful, court-ordered requests to identify accounts involved in proven cases of harassment or defamation. At the same time, he cautioned against making the surrender of anonymity a blanket requirement for people participating in public discussions.
On possible sanctions, Shatta Wale proposed proportionate penalties where Parliament determines that specific forms of online conduct should constitute criminal offences. He suggested that short custodial sentences could be considered in certain cases, while emphasising deterrence and correction.
He also warned that any new legislation should not effectively bring back criminal libel, which Ghana repealed in 2001.
Beyond legislation, Shatta Wale called for public education on responsible online behaviour and urged authorities to involve the creative industry in consultations on any proposed reforms.
He said the objective should be to promote responsibility in public discourse while preserving democratic freedoms.
Shatta Wale has also expressed his willingness to contribute to further discussions as Ghana considers how to respond to harmful online content and emerging challenges associated with social media regulation.
Source: Thepressradio.com
