A recent report from IMANI Africa, a renowned think tank, has highlighted a significant decrease in negative discourse surrounding the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

According to the report, there has been a notable 13% reduction in negative references to Dr. Bawumia on social media between February and March 2024.

This analysis, part of the Public Understanding and Literacy for Sentiment and Election (PULSE) report by IMANI Africa, provides insightful observations into sentiments expressed across various social media platforms.

During the period from February 26 to March 26, 2024, the NPP witnessed a rise in positive sentiment, climbing from 10.22% to 10.71%.

Conversely, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) experienced a decrease in positive sentiment on social media, dropping from 10.22% to 9.50% during the same timeframe.

IMANI Africa's analysis encompassed a comprehensive examination of selected social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, various web platforms, TikTok, Podcasts, and Newsfeeds.

The objective was to assess prevailing sentiments regarding key political contenders for the upcoming election and identify influential trends and individuals shaping social media discourse.

The report stated, “The sentiments are of three values, i.e. positive, negative and neutral. All these are also collated and analyzed to determine the language, tone of comments and tweets, and tone of commentary and posts related to both candidates.

“NPP has taken a lead in positive sentiment on the social media posts monitored. The NDC has dropped from 10.22% to 9.50% while the NPP increased marginally to 10.71% from 10.22%. Public negative sentiment has significantly dropped for both, with NPP having an almost 13% drop in negative sentiment,” part of the report stated.

“… The sentiments of NDC fell from 10.22% to 9.5% over the period. NDC took a marginal hit in its positive sentiments for the period, meaning that with NPP’s relative gain of 10.71%, the shift in sentiments is almost of the same magnitude, although NDC’s drop is about 0.2% more. This means that there could be more positive mentions of the NPP on social media than before,” the report added.

Positive Influencers for Candidate Mahama

For Candidate Bawumia:

Positive influencers for Candidate Mahama and Candidate Bawumia were also highlighted in the report.