President John Dramani Mahama has intervened in the ongoing regulatory enforcement by the National Communications Authority (NCA), requesting clemency for 64 FM radio stations ordered to suspend operations over licensing violations.
In a statement issued by the Presidency Communications Directorate on Thursday, June 12, President Mahama directed the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation to engage with the NCA to facilitate the restoration of affected radio broadcasts. The directive comes in response to the NCA’s enforcement action earlier today, which targeted stations operating with expired authorisations or failing to meet regulatory requirements.
The President’s appeal emphasised the importance of balancing regulatory compliance with the preservation of media freedom.
“Requiring radio stations to shut down while awaiting regularisation of their authorisation could limit the space for expressing such freedoms,” the statement read.
President Mahama urged the Minister to collaborate with the NCA to establish a “reasonable timeframe” during which the affected stations could regularise their operations without having their broadcasts disrupted.
READ: NCA orders 62 broadcasting stations to suspend operations over licensing violations
The NCA’s directive, announced on June 12, affected 62 radio stations found to be in breach of licensing terms under the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011 (L.I. 1991) and the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775). Infractions included operating with expired authorisations, failure to fulfil the conditions for provisional licences, and absence of compliance certificates.
While the NCA acknowledged the key role of radio in national development, it stated that failure to comply with broadcasting regulations would attract severe consequences.
President Mahama’s call for clemency is seen as an attempt to strike a balance between enforcing media regulation and safeguarding democratic freedoms.
Below is a copy of the statement:
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Risa Wyettey Cofie
