Shatta Wale Proposes Framework to Tackle Defamation, Abuse on Social Media
Dancehall artiste Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., popularly known as Shatta Wale, has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to lead the development of a balanced legal framework to address defamation, harassment and abuse on social media.
In an open letter dated September 28, 2026, he referenced President Mahama’s recent remarks at the Town Hall Meeting with the Ghanaian community in New York, where the President expressed concern about misinformation and insults on TikTok and other platforms and about the difficulty of regulating new media without undermining freedom of expression.
Shatta Wale stated that the culture of unverified allegations and public ridicule did not begin with social media.
He noted that it grew out of sections of entertainment commentary, spread into comment sections, and has now been amplified by platforms that allow anyone with a phone to broadcast instantly.
He observed that traditional leaders, businesspeople, journalists, public officials and ordinary citizens are all exposed to the same harm.
The artiste stressed that freedom of speech and of the media, as guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution, must remain protected, but cautioned that it should not be mistaken for a licence to threaten, harass or knowingly spread damaging falsehoods.
He therefore proposed that Parliament, the Judiciary, security agencies, media institutions and civil society work together to develop a clearly defined legal framework for serious and proven online misconduct, with full due process and independent judicial oversight.
He further called for the framework to expressly protect legitimate criticism, journalism, satire and political expression, insisting that no citizen should be punished for criticising a President, public official or public figure.
Shatta Wale also proposed that platforms operating in Ghana be engaged to strengthen account verification, building on the existing Ghana Card SIM registration, and to cooperate with lawful, court-ordered requests to identify accounts behind proven harassment or defamation, without requiring every citizen to surrender anonymity as a condition of speaking.
He suggested that where Parliament deems specific conduct criminal, proportionate penalties including short custodial sentences not exceeding one month should be considered, with the aim of deterrence and correction rather than punishment for its own sake.
He urged that in keeping with Ghana’s repeal of criminal libel in 2001, any new measure must be carefully designed so as not to reintroduce criminal libel in another form.
The artiste added that public education on responsible online conduct should accompany any legal reform and that the creative industry should be consulted early, given its long first-hand experience of the problem.
According to him, the goal is not to silence citizens but to restore responsibility to public conversation while preserving the freedoms on which Ghana’s democracy stands, adding that he remains available to contribute to the national dialogue.
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