ACCRA, Ghana – The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has commended President John Dramani Mahama for intervening to stop the National Communications Authority (NCA) from revoking the frequency authorizations of 64 radio stations.
The stations faced sanctions for various regulatory breaches, including failure to renew authorization, operating without valid authorization, exceeding permitted transmission, and non-payment of authorization fees.
As the NCA moved to shut down the defaulting stations, President Mahama directed the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation to liaise with the NCA to halt the action, thereby easing tension within the industry.
The GJA believes that shutting down 64 radio stations would have severely impacted the electronic media sector, leading to significant social and economic consequences, including job losses and the disruption of critical public services provided by these stations.
The GJA further concurred with the President’s view that such closures could seriously undermine media freedom and freedom of expression.
The association praised President Mahama for “tempering regulatory enforcement with clemency,” signaling the government’s responsiveness to concerns for media freedom and its commitment to fostering media pluralism and diversity.
The GJA urged the affected radio stations to utilize this moratorium to achieve full regulatory compliance. While not condoning illegality, the GJA shares the President’s perspective that regulatory compliance must also uphold and enhance media freedom.
The association reiterated its call for approaches that do not stifle information flow or unduly penalize media houses, advocating for more extensive dialogue between the regulator and industry stakeholders.
The GJA also called for fairness and transparency in regulatory enforcement, urging the NCA to publish the standing and ownership details of all radio and television stations, including their regulatory compliance dates.
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