Claim: A Twitter user claims an image of a damaged section of an asphalt road is from Ghana.
Verdict: Findings reveal the photo was taken in Thailand, not Ghana.
Full Text
A Twitter user has attributed a damaged section of an asphalt road to be that of a road constructed in Ghana.
The photo captioned “Water has carried the road away #fixthecountry” was published on August 4, 2021, a day before a protest dubbed #FixTheCountry to pile pressure on the government to address Ghana’s numerous challenges, including youth unemployment, poor infrastructure, and high cost of living.
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The claim has been posted by the same Twitter user @Opresii several times this year. It has amassed over 3,000 likes, 500 retweets, and over 60 quote tweets.
However, it has been used by a Facebook user where it was said to be a road at Abia State in Nigeria.
Verification
We conducted a Google reverse image search and found out that the photo was first found posted online on 30th August 2019 and is associated with Thailand.
This is corroborated in a news report by Workpoint Today which is a news agency in Thailand. According to the news report, the photo was first posted by a Facebook user Prince of Wales after villagers in Chanuman District, Amnat Charoen Province, called on authorities to repair the paved road surface that slipped out into a sheet after the flood subsided.
The photo posted on Facebook gave us a clearer view of the picture, revealing a number plate, as seen in the photo, which is a clear indication that the image was not taken in Ghana.
Image Source: Facebook
More evidently, Thailand’s Anti-Corruption Organization reported on the road case with the same images and text.
Affiliate fact-checking organizations including Dubawa Nigeria have verified the photo and affirmed the destroyed road is in Chanuman District in Thailand.
The report described the photo as false and asserts that the photo is of a dilapidated road from Chanuman District in Thailand.
Furthermore, a report by AFP fact check on the photo demonstrated this more clearly by using natural features and objects seen in the image to find the location of the road.
Using Google Maps Street View, pictures of the exact location in Thailand were uncovered, showing images from 2015, before the road’s construction and more recent images showing the road after reconstruction.
Image Source:Facebook and Google Maps
Conclusion
The dilapidated road claimed to be in Ghana is false and misleading. It is a road in Chanuman District in Thailand. Other fact check organizations have verified the photo and concluded that it is a road from Thailand.
