A popular social media commentator, Okatakyie Kwame Afrifa-Mensah, on February 20, 2026, shared a photo, questioning whether a former Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso East Constituency had renovated a medical ward in Burkina Faso.
The photo was shared on his verified X page, known as ‘For The Records,’ with the accompanying caption: “An MP for Ayawaso East Constituency renovated a ward in Burkina? You people should respect us small er.”
His caption was a repost of an original post of the Foreign Affairs Ministry announcing a visit by Minister Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa to neighbouring Burkina Faso following a terrorist attack that killed some Ghanaian traders.
Out of the four images shared by the Ministry, Afrifa-Mensah highlighted one that shows Ablakwa interacting with high-ranking military officers at a hospital. Behind them was a plaque that read, “This ward is renovated and adopted by Hon. Naser Mahama Toure, Member of Parliament for Awayaso East Constituency.”
At the time of preparing this report, the post has gained some traction, including 103.6k views, 115 comments, 45 reposts and 258 likes. GhanaFact noted that the post has generated two side narratives in the comments; while some X users questioned whether indeed the renovated ward was in Burkina Faso, others disputed the narrative.
This explainer will give context to the contentious image and highlight how misleading narratives can be spun when images do not match the caption of social media posts.
RelatedNews
Analysis
GhanaFact found that the image in question was shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X and Facebook with the caption “Minister for Foreign Affairs Embarks On A Two-Day Official Visit to Burkina Faso.”
Details of the post included that the visit was “aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and deepening cooperation between the two neighbouring countries,” stressing on; “enhancing security cooperation, intensifying political consultations, and signing strategic agreements to consolidate relations between the two countries, particularly in response to evolving regional security challenges.”
However, the latter part of the post indicated that “Prior to his departure from Accra, the Minister visited the 37 Military Hospital to express solidarity and empathy with Ghanaian survivors of the February 14th terrorist attack in Titao, northern Burkina Faso. The injured traders were airlifted to Ghana by the Ghana Air Force and are currently receiving medical care.”
The post by the Ministry as shared on X got significant engagement with 118 reposts, 743 likes, 23 comments and 187.5k views. On Facebook, the same post got much lower interactions of 159 likes, 7 comments and 13 shares.
GhanaFact observed that the controversy on X, which was amplified by the post by ‘For the Records,’ stemmed from the arrangement of the images on the Ministry’s X post. On the Facebook page where all Burkina Faso images preceded that of the visit to 37 Military Hospital, no such narratives were being pushed.
On the question posed in the post, the late MP indeed renovated the facility, which is located at the 37 Military Hospital. We also found other instances showing President John Dramani Mahama and other appointees at the GK Deh Trauma and Surgical Emergency Centre at the 37 Military Hospital. (Here, here, and here.)
Another observation we made was that persons running with the narrative that the Ministry was misinforming with their post failed to read the full caption of the post, which stated that the minister left for Burkina Faso after visiting the hospital in Accra.
In the comments on X, therefore, there were two groups of people: those accusing the ministry of misinformation or outright lies and those encouraging them to engage with the full post.
Attack on Ghanaian traders
On February 15, 2026, the Minister of Interior and National Security, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, issued a press release indicating that some Ghanaian tomato traders were caught up in a terrorist attack in Titao, Burkina Faso, on 14 February 2026.
Further details revealed that eight Ghanaians died as a result of the attacks, with several others injured.
Geographically, Titao is located in the Nord Region of northern Burkina Faso and is the capital of Loroum Province, which has been under attack by Islamist militants since 2019. According to the BBC, the recent attack that resulted in the death of 20 people was claimed by the al-Qaeda-affiliated group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
Researched by Gifty Tracy Aminu
![Ghana’s ‘historic’ 3.8% inflation and analysis of annual trends under the 4th Republic [Charts]](https://ghanafact.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/qtq80-Ihe4KA-120x86.jpeg "Ghana’s ‘historic’ 3.8% inflation and analysis of annual trends under the 4th Republic [Charts]")
