By Eleanor Sarpong||
On Saturday, January 7, 2017, the West African country of
Ghana
sworn in a new President, Nana Akufo-Addo, for a 4-year mandate.
Ghana’s election process concluded on December 9, 2016, when the country
declared President-elect Akufo-Addo the winner of the election. But
there was another, less celebrated winner in Ghana’s electoral process:
the free and open Web.
For those who haven’t followed recent
trends, an increasing number of African countries have taken to banning
or reining in its citizens’ access to and use of social media and the
internet, particularly during elections and in times of social unrest.
In May 2016, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni –in power since 1986, and
on the eve of the inauguration for his fifth term in office – ordered
the country’s internet to be shut down amidst growing opposition voices
online. Mobile phone operator Airtel, somewhat ironically, took to
social media to inform its customers in Uganda that social media had
been blocked on the orders of the Ugandan regulator.
Uganda is far
from the only country to do so. In May 2015, Burundi’s government cut
off access to a number of messaging services, including Facebook,
Whatsapp, Twitter and Tango, during protests over the incumbent
president seeking a third term. In Ethiopia, where online media had
become the go-to source of information for citizens as a result of the
government’s tight control of traditional media, the government in May
2006
began to censor the
internet, blocking opposition blogs and human rights websites. The
election of real estate developer Adama Barrow as President of The
Gambia in December 2016 was preceded by a countrywide
internet ban;
citizens were unable to follow developments online and international
news correspondents in the capital Banjul resorted to VPN – virtual
private networks – connected to their organisation’s internal networks
to relay information to both external and internal audiences.
Access Now, an international nonprofit that defends the digital rights of users, documented 52
internet shutdowns across the world in 2016 alone, with shutdowns in at least 11 African countries contributing to that number.
With
the number of shutdowns around the continent on the rise, Ghana stood
out as a beacon of digital freedom, with a vibrant traditional media
sector and relatively unfettered access to the internet and social
media. Given this history, Ghanaians were alarmed when the Inspector
General of Police announced in July 2016 that a social media blackout
was on the cards on, and after election day.
Governance analysts,
internet users, activists and the social media universe took to both
traditional and social media with commentary and articles on the danger
of such a decision for the country’s celebrated values of democracy and
freedom of expression. Civil society groups engaged both the police and
security services to explain the benefits of keeping the internet open
in an election. Thankfully the security services listened, reversing
their stance, even actively adopting social media. The Ghana Police
Service’s Twitter account (@GhPoliceService) proved to be a reliable
source of public safety information during the election period.
Prior to and during the elections, the Electoral Commission of Ghana shared updates via its own Twitter account
(@ECGhanaOfficial)
on the voting and electoral processes. Its timeline was rich with swift
and timely responses to allegations or challenges that could undermine
the process, including the attempted hack of the Electoral Commission
website.
Ghana’s Coalition of Local Observers (CODEO), which
monitored conduct at the polls, also ensured regular engagement with
citizens through Twitter, calling for calm when, before the official
conclusion of vote counting, the two dominant political parties claimed
victory – a declaration that by law is reserved for the head of the
Electoral Commission.
Incumbent President John Dramani Mahama took
to his personal Twitter account to engage directly with his followers
and the public, and to calm nerves while voters sat on the edge waiting
for results of the presidential poll.
The role of civil society
Civil
society groups were also very active throughout the election, taking to
online spaces to discuss party manifestos and campaign promises, and
sharing ideas and information with citizens and policy makers alike via
social media. Online citizens were able to stay informed and up-to-date
through increased social media activity by civil society organisations
and activists, via channels like @BloggingGhana, @OccupyGhana, and
through the hashtag #GhanaDecides.
Free and independent media
Since liberalising its media in 1992, Ghana has developed a very vibrant media space with
www.myjoyonline, www.citifmonline and
www.peacefmonline
three of the most visited sites on news on the country. Prior to the
elections, journalists created various platforms for government to
engage the populace through innovative programmes and were central to
the electoral process, reporting live from polling stations across the
country.
International correspondents like the BBC’s Ghanaian
presenter Akwasi Sarpong also provided minute-by-minute accounts on the
election process, including Q&A sessions with the head of the
Electoral Commission, exclusive interviews with key candidates in the
poll, coverage of underreported election issues for young voters, and
broke the news of the incumbent’s concession to the opposition leader.
Ghana’s
example is proof that credible elections in Africa can be held – and
supported – while keeping the internet open and making social media
accessible. Ghana is not alone in making a case for this. Nigeria’s
election, which ushered in Mr. Muhammadu Buhari in April 2015, similarly
saw a heavy campaign on social media and the internet. The country’s
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) used social media to
provide vital updates to the electorate.
Potential for the internet in Africa
Recent
ITU figures show that despite growing global internet penetration
levels, 75% of Africa’s population remains offline. By comparison, just
21% of Europe is offline. Enabling this massive population to come
online presents immense opportunity for business and citizen engagement.
The foundations have been laid for increased mobile phone penetration
and access to basic data at affordable rates. While access to affordable
internet has become a basic human right in a number of countries, the
risk of internet blackouts and shutdowns threaten to derail the SDG goal
9c of ensuring universal and affordable access in the world’s least
developed countries by 2020.
The
Alliance of Affordable Internet (A4AI)
has predicted that at our current trajectory, we’ll only hit this
target in 2042, 22 years after the deadline set by the global community.
Governments must therefore embrace the wonderful opportunities
presented by the internet and social media to empower its citizen and
ensure it is open, accessible, and affordable too.
Looking ahead to 2017 elections around the globe
As
more countries head for elections this year across the globe (Kenya,
Liberia, Somaliland, Rwanda, Chile, Ecuador, Papua New Guinea, New
Zealand, possibly Lebanon, Iran, Germany, France, Albania, Portugal),
civil society actors, the media and activists must advocate not ony for
the internet and social media to be kept on, but must show decision
makers examples of the democratic successes enabled by keeping the free
and open internet on and accessible.
Source:
myjoyonline.com
**The writer is the Policy and Advocacy Manager for the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), a programme of the World Wide Web Foundation.
