Abla Dzifa Gomashie Urges Religious Leaders to Fight Tribal Prejudice Online

The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on religious leaders to take a leading role in combating tribal prejudice and other forms of abuse on social media.

She made the call while speaking at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Global Evangelical Church, El Shaddai Chapel at Tesano in Accra.

The Minister condemned what she described as inflammatory and irresponsible remarks dominating Ghana's media space, noting that many young people are being drowned in the excesses of social media use.

She lamented that insults, hate speech, disinformation and misinformation have taken over Ghanaian media spaces in the name of politics and democracy, with many being championed by young people through platforms like TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp using manipulated videos and inflammatory rhetoric.

According to Mrs. Gomashie, the church in Ghana holds a unique position of moral authority and vast communal reach, making it a critical force in combating such abuses.

She said by utilizing their pulpits and events such as the anniversary celebration, religious bodies can directly counter these digital abuses by publicly denouncing tribal bigotry and promoting unity.