The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has praised President John Dramani Mahama for stepping in to halt the revocation of frequency authorisations for 64 radio stations, an action initially taken by the National Communications Authority (NCA) for various regulatory breaches.
According to the NCA, the affected stations were cited for failing to renew their licences, operating without valid authorisation, exceeding permitted transmission limits, or neglecting to pay required authorisation fees. The regulator’s move, announced on Thursday, June 12, sparked widespread concern across the media landscape.
But in a swift response, President Mahama intervened and reversed the NCA’s decision, granting clemency to the affected stations—a move the GJA says has spared the country serious consequences.
The Association described the potential fallout from the shutdown as devastating.
“It would have ruptured the electronic media industry, with dire social and economic consequences, including loss of thousands of jobs and denial of critical public services rendered by the stations,” the GJA warned in a statement.
Commending the President for balancing regulation with compassion, the Association noted: “We, therefore, commend President Mahama for tampering regulatory enforcement with clemency in this instance, acknowledging that his intervention sends a good signal that the government is responsive to concerns for media freedom and is committed to fostering media pluralism and diversity.”
The GJA also called for a more collaborative approach between the NCA and stakeholders in the media space going forward.
“We, therefore, call for more and extensive dialogue between the regulator and stakeholders in the industry so that in the pursuit of operational fidelity, we do not cut our nose to spite our face,” the statement concluded.
The President’s intervention has been largely welcomed as a timely step in safeguarding media freedom while still encouraging compliance within the broadcasting sector.
