Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister-designate, Emmanuel Bombande has indicated that it is not advisable to ban social media on election day.

In his view, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the general public as a whole should rather explore the benefits of social media instead of demonising it.

“Social media is used to churn out untruths and half-baked truths and finally lies...we as the Police will not sit down for this to happen. We shall recommend that the Social Media is banned for the seven or eight hours that the election will take place, after all, it is nothing but Ghana first, and I still stand by that,” the IGP said. He explained that this was a sure way of maintaining peace and security during and after the December polls.

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Bombande made this comment in response to a question when he appeared before the Parliament’s Appointments Committee today [Friday]. “I will not advise that we shut down social media” he stressed.

A lot of organisations and individuals have rejected the IGP’s idea of banning social media during elections. Key among them is the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas.

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The IGP has always insisted the general public will be able to access social media after the election. But the co-founder of the West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP), Bombande explained that it would rather be important to educate social media users on how to use it wisely.

“When you shut it down and later on you open it, you are indirectly saying that continue to be irresponsible but at a certain point we will shut you down and then we will open it up again. I think there is onerous responsibility on all of us that every tool that is available should be used responsibly” he reiterated.