Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has made it clear that the National Communication Authority (NCA) is not in charge of policing or granting licences for television broadcast content in response to recent worries over objectionable content carried by a number of Ghanaian television stations.
The clarification comes in the wake of the National Media Commission (NMC) issuing final warnings to twelve television stations, including Asomafo TV, Adwenpa TV, Diamond TV, and others. These stations stand accused of broadcasting fraudulent lotteries, occult practices, financial scams, ritualistic acts involving money and explicit sexual materials.
Questions have arisen regarding the licensing process and the effectiveness of the NMC in regulating content on Ghanaian television.
Minister Oppong Nkrumah emphasized that the NCA’s role is limited to spectrum management and authorization, excluding content regulation.
“The National Communications Authority is only responsible for spectrums and the authorization to use spectrum, but in terms of content, they have no say on the kind of content that you air. The National Media Commission (NMC) is responsible for the kind of content on our airwaves and our media,” he stated.
To address concerns and ensure compliance with the Ghana Journalistic Standard and NMC rules, the Information Minister highlighted the necessity for media houses to notify authorities of the content they intend to produce before being granted access to electronic frequencies.
“Now, the draft of the broadcasting bill requires that for somebody to get access to electronic frequencies for media, that media house must serve notice of the content to the National Media Commission. This notice of content will then be commented on for NCA consideration so that you can, at least, help persons who are looking to get access to media meet a certain level of content criteria before NCA can consider their application and also monitor if that media is going according to the notice served.”
The government’s clarification aims to delineate the regulatory responsibilities between the NCA and NMC and address concerns about the oversight of content on Ghanaian television stations.