The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation, Mr Samuel Nartey George, has expressed his dissatisfaction with how charlatans posing as religious leaders, as well as fetish priests promoting money-doubling schemes, are “soiling” Ghana’s airwaves.
He has also noted concerns about broadcasters pushing sexually explicit content disguised as relationship shows, stating that the Ministry is implementing punitive measures in collaboration with regulators, broadcasters, and policymakers to restore “sanity” in the nation’s broadcasting space, in promoting responsible media practices.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a policy dialogue organised by the Africa Media Bureau in Accra last Friday, Mr George said that, Ghana’s broadcasting landscape stands at a “crossroads between survival and demise,” as his Ministry prepares for sweeping regulatory enforcement that would reshape the industry.
“We must all agree that charlatans who are parading as ‘men of God’ instead of genuine leaders, and who run all kinds of frivolous schemes in the name of God, need to be driven off our airwaves, much like the cleansing of the temple with a regulatory whip.
Money-doubling and get-rich-quick schemes propagated by unscrupulous fetish priests have no place in our public broadcasts. Additionally, pornographic and sexually explicit content masquerading as adult relationship shows cannot be allowed to continue tarnishing the innocence of our national airwaves,” he stated.
The Minister said the media industry cannot only be concerned about making a profit but should be responsible for the kind of content they feed their audience, and that the time has come for both the regulator and the media owners to agree on a roadmap together to clean up our airwaves.
He added that the media landscape should use the authorisations given to them for their intended purpose, stressing that non-operational or persistently non-compliant stations weaken the ecosystem and compromise spectrum efficiency.
“The Government, working with the National Communications Authority (NCA)
is taking steps to ensure compliance with the conditions of broadcasting authorisations. Recent audits of FM and TV authorisations, together with spectrum monitoring exercises, are to ensure that only compliant and operational stations remain on air.
This protects spectrum integrity and strengthens the credibility of our authorisation regime. I urge all broadcasting authorisation holders to do what is right. Apply for renewal on time. Pay your fees. Comply with the technical regulations,” Mr George said.
He noted that as the media is responsible for holding the government accountable, it is also the mandate of the Ministry
to ensure that their authorisations are in good standing with the regulator.
“The media, be it traditional or new, cannot be said to be above regulation. It cannot be the Wild West, where incredulous allegations are made, reputations are damaged, and images are soiled beyond repair simply for clickbait.
I cannot and would not, as the Minister for the sector, seek to regulate what any media outlet publishes. That is your democratically protected editorial discretion,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer for Africa Media Bureau, Mrs Hillary Andoh, said participants at the forum would discuss and recommend reforms that would
align policy, technology and global best practices to chart a resilient path for the media industry.
She said the forum had brought together policy leaders, regulators, academics, entrepreneurs and international partners to shape an inclusive and sustainable media landscape, stressing that, the Bureau has become a catalyst, convening, researching, mentoring and inspiring change in the media space.
BY BERNARD BENGHAN
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