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Parliamentary Committee Confirms Public Release of MDHI Bill Was a Deliberate Pre-Legislative Consultation
The Honourable Abednego Lamangin Bandim, MP for Bunkpurugu and Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Information and Communication, has clarified that the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations intentionally published the draft Misinformation, Disinformation, Hate Speech and Publication of Offensive Materials (MDHI) Bill, 2025 on 30 October 2025 to initiate structured public engagement.
Appearing on JoyNews on 3 November, Mr Bandim stated:
“The Minister has elected to place the bill in the public domain at its formative stage precisely to elicit evidence-based submissions. This is not a concluded document; it is the commencement of a rigorous consultative process.”
Statutory Timeline
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Milestone
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Date
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|---|---|
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Cabinet policy approval
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15 October 2025
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Draft uploaded to Ministry portal
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30 October 2025
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National Digital Content Forum
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14 November 2025
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Deadline for written submissions
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30 November 2025
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Revised draft gazetted
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15 January 2026
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First reading in Parliament
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February 2026
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Core Provisions Under Review
- Offence classification – Tiered penalties ranging from GH¢5,000 to GH¢250,000 and/or imprisonment up to seven years.
- Platform accountability – 24-hour removal obligation backed by daily fines of GH¢1 million.
- Defences – Explicit carve-outs for satire, opinion, religious discourse, and public-interest journalism.
- Oversight body – Proposed independent seven-member Digital Content Commission appointed by the President on the advice of the Council of State.
Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism
- Online portal: [email protected] (4,200 submissions logged as of 03:00 GMT, 4 Nov)
- In-person forum: 14 November, Accra International Conference Centre (registration capped at 1,200)
- Parliamentary public hearings: Scheduled for 20–22 January 2026
Responses
- Ghana Journalists Association: Welcomed the consultation but demanded statutory recognition of press freedom in Clause 12.
- New Media Association: Called for a 90-day grace period before platform-liability clauses take effect.
- Office of the National Chief Imam: Endorsed protections for religious content but sought clarity on “hate speech” thresholds.
Chairman Bandim emphasised that no clause is immutable:
“Every submission that meets the 30 November deadline will be tabled before the Select Committee. The final bill presented to the House will reflect the consensus of citizens, not the Ministry alone.”
The Ministry has committed to publishing a Consolidated Feedback Matrix on 10 December 2025, detailing which recommendations were accepted, modified, or rejected.
