A roadshow against disinformation in rural Ghana

It is still early morning when a heavy van navigates the dusty streets and uneven roads of a village in rural Ghana, heading toward the community square. By the time it arrives, the area is already filling up. Some residents have been waiting for more than an hour. Farmers have paused their work, and parents have arranged their morning routines to make time for the gathering. The plastic chairs set out in neat rows fill quickly; soon people begin bringing their own chairs. 

What looks at first like preparation for a concert or election rally is one of thirteen interactive workshop sessions of the “MIL Caravan of Hope.” Its goal: to spark conversations about Media and Information Literacy (MIL), and to encourage people to recognize their own power to protect themselves against disinformation. 

Close cooperation with local leaders establishes trust 

“The MIL Caravan of Hope-project is based on prior research: Around rural Ghana, we found that many people here are exposed to different forms of misinformation, particularly through word of mouth, mobile phones and local media,” said Rebecca Avusu, Project Associate for DW Akademie’s partner in Ghana, Penplusbytes. “But what they lack are the practical skills to critically assess the information and verify before sharing.” 

The challenge is the same everywhere, whether around Europe, in Ghana’s urban centers – or in these rural communities in five of Ghana’s 16 regions.  

“Many people know that there are problems with rumors, false information being spread,” Avusu continued. “But very few are aware that there are very basic instruments that every single one of them can use to stop disinformation from spreading.”  

These tools are introduced to the community via an interactive approach. The MIL Caravan of Hope stops in five districts, Shai Osudoku, Afram Plains South, Ho West, Jasikan, and Tolon, visiting thirteen communities and reaching more than 3,000 direct beneficiaries.  

For this project, DW Akademie’s partner Penplusbytes works closely with local community development workers and leaders, who selected the van’s destinations. Some were also trained as facilitators to present the materials and lead discussions with the community.  

“People here know and trust these people,” said Osman Abubakari-Sadiq, Project Manager at DW Akademie.  “The materials are best conveyed through familiar faces, people who understand the context and speak the local language.”  

“Stop, think and verify” 

Once the van, screen, projector and sound equipment are set up, the session is ready to start. For two hours, the community embarks on a journey through different types of mis- and disinformation and ways to tackle these challenges. The material draws on personal stories and issues that the community members have experienced first-hand.  

“Many people have received a call and someone told them: A family member is sick in hospital and we need money,” said Avusu. “Of course, they want to rush and help. But we tell them to stop, think, and verify this with a person they trust.”  

To make these topics even more accessible, the traveling roadshow combines radio drama, animated videos, skit performances, pictorial flipbooks, and facilitated discussions.   

“This very project is for people with low levels of literacy, people who don’t know how to use technical tools like Google Lens to verify information,” Avusu explained. “They get information based on word of mouth. We encourage them to go to assembly members, go to the elders, go to the social welfare department and verify what they heard.”  

As the roadshow is traveling from one village to the next, the project is designed to reach people where they are, using low-text, local-language formats that ensure accessibility and inclusion. Speaking to people of different age groups and backgrounds, Avusu said they realized something important: “Our role was not to introduce entirely new ideas but to strengthen instincts that people already possessed.” 

During the sessions, participants learned that disinformation is not an individual problem, but one that can affect and rattle whole communities.  

“One story shared in Kpoeta Ashanti involved rumors about ghosts visiting homes at night,” said Avusu. “Nobody knew where the rumor came from but everyone acted on it. The people were in a state of fear and panic.”  

Sharing these experiences and finding ways to overcome them together is one approach the MIL Caravan of Hope offers. People understand that they are not alone in this and that individual action still matters.  

“Our aim is to show people: if you are requesting facts, you are requesting the truth,” said Abubakari-Sadiq. “This project seeks to empower them to be active citizens in a democratic space. Our main objective is to make sure you are informed, ask the right questions and make the right decisions based on factual and verified information.”  

A travel roadshow with long-term impact 

After around two hours of presentations and intense discussions, the team prepares to leave – as the next community is already waiting. But sometimes moving on is not that easy.  

“Their response to us was so positive,” said Abubakari-Sadiq. “When we started packing up, they said they really didn’t want us to leave, despite the fact that they were all busy with work.” 

 Avusu added, “Several times, we were also approached by people who had attended from other communities. They asked us to come to their homes as well, to share this information with their fellow community members.”  

And of course, the team’s work is not done even when the MIL Caravan of Hope leaves a place.  

“We leave all the materials with the facilitators and community development people, so they can further share them with the community. This way we make sure the discussion continues,” Avusu said.  

The first MIL Caravan of Hope, from January to March 2026, was a pilot project. Continuation now depends on funding and availability. But Avusu said she is optimistic that the Caravan will continue its journey, one way or another. For the near future, the team plans a return follow-up visit to assess the long-term impact of the trainings. And they are already working on a concept to expand the project and bring MIL to even more communities – so that the Caravan can hit the road once again.  

The project “MIL Caravan of Hope” is implemented by Penplusbytes, in partnership with DW Akademie and with support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The initiative is being implemented in partnership with Ghana’s District Assemblies, the Information Services Department (ISD), community radio stations, and local civil society organizations, ensuring strong local ownership and sustainability. The MIL Caravan of Hope was originally developed as part of the ‘MIL Connections Idealab’ regional project, which aimed to reach marginalized groups eg: refugees and displaced communities. DW Akademie’s partner Penplusbytes participated in this project.