Organizational Capacity and Resources There are no exact numbers available on the resources spent on social media campaigning by political parties in Ghana. However, it is important to note that even though these platforms make it easier to reach a broader audience, resources and capacity remain an issue. The research published by the University of Exeter notes that while the two major parties are heavily investing in social media campaigns, smaller parties simply do not have the resources to become similarly active online. For now, it also appears that online influence campaigns do not have a substantial presence in everyday lives of Ghanaians. Rather, such efforts are mobilized during politically sensitive times, such as elections, and subsequently calm down afterwards. Table 3: Cyber Troop Capacity in Ghana Team Size Resources Spent Activity Levels (USD) Temporary Coordination Capacity Measure Coordinated Source: Authors’ evaluations based on data collected. Blank spaces indicate no evidence was found. In relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana is experiencing a surge in conspiracy and fake news being spread about the virus. The most common topic about which conspiracy and misinformation are spread are fake cures. It appears that several doctors in Ghana have taken advantage of the situation to scam patients out of money by advertising cures to the virus (Owoseye, 2020; The Media Online, 2020). Meanwhile formal sources for information on the virus seem to be scarce and the void has been filled with informal news, often times causing fear, discrimination, stigmatization and confusion (APO Group, 2020). References Ahiabenu, K. (2019, June 20). What is political micro targeting? Graphic Online. https://www.graphic.com.gh/features/features/what-is-political-micro-targeting.html APO Group. (2020, June 11). Gov’ts must fight COVID misinformation. BusinessGhana. http://www.businessghana.com/site/news/general/215149/Gov Freedom House. (2020). Freedom in the World: Ghana. Freedom House. https://freedomhouse.org/country/ghana/freedom-world/2020 Frimpong, E. D. (2020, March 13). Facebook removes 203 pages and accounts in Ghana and Nigeria for coordinated inauthentic behaviour from Russia. Graphic Online. https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/facebook-removes-203-pages-andaccounts-in-ghana-and-nigeria-for-coordinated-inauthentic-behaviour-from-russia.html Gadjanova, E., Lynch, G., Reifler, J., & Saibu, G. (2019). Social Media, Cyber Battalions, and Political Mobilisation in Ghana. University of Exeter. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.24383.25766 Ghana | Freedom House. (2019). Freedom House. https://freedomhouse.org/country/ghana/freedom-world/2019 Graphic Online. (2020, February 20). Minority defends boycott of 2020 State of the Nation Address. Graphic Online. https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/minoritydefends-boycott-of-2020-state-of-the-nation-address.html Ngnenbe, T. (2019, September 19). EC to ‘arrest’ fake news. Graphic Online. https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/politics/ghana-news-ec-to-arrest-fake-news.html 156