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President John Dramani Mahama has intervened in the wake of the NCA’s sanctions against 64 radio stations for regulatory breaches.
According to the President, the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation is directed to reinstate the affected stations and foster close collaboration with the NCA.
As outlined in a statement by Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu, President Mahama acknowledges the significance of regulatory compliance, yet stresses that this must be balanced against the need to preserve media freedom. The President cautions that enforcing shutdowns while awaiting regulatory regularization may disproportionately restrict freedom of expression.
In this regard, the Minister has been entrusted to collaborate with the NCA to develop a practical timeline within which the affected stations can normalise their broadcasting authorisations.
The NCA’s recent enforcement measures ensued from a frequency audit that uncovered several breaches of regulatory standards.
These included:
28 stations operating with expired authorisations.
14 stations failing to commence operations within the required two-year window after receiving their licences.
13 stations with unpaid provisional authorisation fees.
7 stations that have paid fees but not yet received final authorisation due to pending regulatory requirements.
See the letter from the President’s office.
