There is nothing to rejoice about reopening of radio stations - Sulemana Braimah

•In 2019, National Communication Authority revoked licences of some radio stations over their refusal to pay operating licence fees

•These 133 radio stations have had their licenses renewed by the National Communications Authority

•Sulemana Braimah says there is nothing to rejoice about as the closure was politically motivated

Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has said there is nothing to rejoice about after the reopening of closed radio stations.

He explained that the same entity who closed down the radio stations under political motivated and discriminatory reasons is the same entity that reversed its own decision, there is, therefore, no reason to rejoice.

Speaking on Asaase Radio’s Big Bulletin, Braimah said the closure of these radio stations was not transparent.

“I think it was a very discriminatory, politically motivated decision that was taken, and now the same entity has decided to reverse its own decision. I don’t think there’s anything I should be elated about… there were over a hundred that were in the same situation based on the NCA’s own data and yet they were not shut down.

“So one could only conclude that there was a rationale behind why some specifications were selected and shut down, so I don’t see anything to be happy about.”

The governing board of the National Communications Authority (NCA), the spectrum regulatory agency under the chairmanship of Mr Isaac Emmil Osei-Bonsu, has approved a new radio licence applications for Radio Gold, Radio XYZ and over 131 others.

A statement released by the NCA said a decision was taken by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation to have the licences for the closed radio stations renewed.

The statement added that the applicants who have their licences renewed will be obliged to attend a sensitization workshop on the terms and conditions of FM radio broadcasting authorisations in Ghana.

The workshop will give the applicants insight into the legal, regulatory and technical requirements for the establishment of radio stations in the country.

It would be recalled that in May 2019, the NCA shut down some radio stations including Radio Gold and Radio XYZ for operating with expired licenses.

The NCA explained that the closures were carried out in line with Regulations 65 (1) of the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011, L. I. 1991, which states that “a person shall not use a radio frequency without authorisation from the Authority.”