President Mahama Directs Restoration of Suspended Radio Licenses

President John Dramani Mahama has called for the immediate restoration of broadcast services to 64 radio stations shut down by the National Communications Authority (NCA) for regulatory breaches.

In a directive to the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, President Mahama requested a collaboration between the ministry and the NCA to ensure the affected stations resume broadcasting without delay.

This was contained in a release by the Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye-Ofosu, today, a few hours after the NCA shut down the stations.

The statement explained that President Mahama believes in the importance of balancing regulatory compliance with media freedom.

Hence, “requiring radio stations to shut down while awaiting the regularisation of their authorisation could limit the space for expressing such freedoms.”

The release stressed that media outlets play a vital role in democratic societies and should be supported in fulfilling that role.

To that end, the President has also directed the Minister to engage the NCA in setting “a reasonable timeframe within which the affected stations should regularise their authorisation”.