The British High Commissioner to Ghana has addressed concerns surrounding her earlier remarks about the potential for unrest in Ghana’s 2024 elections.
Harriet Thompson explained her office’s decision not to engage in widespread misrepresentations of her statements.
Speaking at a media soiree on Thursday, January 9, 2025, she detailed her approach to handling misreporting and reiterated her commitment to Ghana’s democratic processes.
Background to the Controversy
In November 2024, during the King’s Birthday celebration in Accra, Ms Thompson expressed concerns about the upcoming elections, citing fears raised by local leaders and citizens.
“Unfortunately, my colleagues and I are frequently told by a range of people that they fear Ghana’s 2024 elections will be less peaceful than previous elections,” she said.
She warned that an election marred by unrest would not only harm Ghana’s democratic reputation but could pose dangers to those directly involved.
“An election that’s not peaceful would be incredibly damaging for Ghana, as well as dangerous, of course, for those directly involved,” she added.
However, her remarks were misreported in several quarters, leading to widespread discussions and speculation.
Why the High Commission Did Not Respond
Addressing why her office chose not to react publicly, Ms Thompson explained that such misrepresentation is common and rarely warrants a response.
“There is a fairly high chance of it being misrepresented somewhere. The number of times throughout my years in Ghana that that’s happened—I’ve simply lost count,” she said.
Ms. Thompson emphasized that engaging with every misreported comment would be counterproductive.
“The number of times that we’ve actually tried to do something about it is very small, and that’s because we just don’t bother getting drawn into it. Unless it’s something really serious, we just don’t bother engaging,” she added.
A Strategic Approach to Communication
The High Commissioner highlighted one rare instance where her office intervened to correct a misleading headline.
“I can think of one example when I did an interview – I can’t remember what the headline was now – but it was very misleading. It suggested that I had spoken in what I felt was a highly disrespectful manner, given my role in Ghana, and so I insisted that they change that headline,” she recalled.
Even in that case, the intervention was an exception rather than the rule.
“That’s one of the very few occasions that we, as the High Commission, decided to engage with that sort of thing,” she noted.
Focus on Core Diplomatic Work
Ms Thompson explained that her office’s priority remains on substantive diplomatic work rather than addressing every instance of misinformation.
“If we were to delve down all of those rabbit holes, we wouldn’t do anything else,” she remarked.
Her communication team follows a similar strategy in Ghana and the UK, choosing not to respond unless the situation is critical.
Despite the misrepresentation, Ms Thompson’s original remarks were intended to encourage vigilance and proactive measures to ensure peaceful elections in Ghana.
She reiterated her office’s commitment to supporting Ghana’s democratic journey.
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