Executive Committee Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nii Tan Sackey, has said Wontumi Multimedia’s public statements about measures taken towards compliance with regulatory requirements do not equate to authorisation to operate.
Speaking on ABC News Ghana, he explained that such declarations only outline internal steps taken and cannot replace formal clearance from the National Communications Authority (NCA).
He maintained that until every regulatory requirement is met and official approval is granted, the NCA is acting within its mandate to suspend their operations to protect broadcasting standards.
“For you to be authorised, the NCA has to give you a letter,” Mr Sackey stressed.
“If you have not received the letter of authorisation and you operate, you should even be considered a criminal issue, because it threatens our national security issues. This is a serious thing we should not brush off.”
His comments come in the wake of heightened public debate following the NCA’s recent enforcement actions against non-compliant radio operators.
The NCA announced on August 12 that it had suspended the operations of nine radio stations across Ghana, including three belonging to Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, also known as Wontumi.
The suspension followed the expiration of a 30-day grace period granted by President John Dramani Mahama for defaulting stations to correct regulatory breaches.
The affected stations were found to be operating without a valid Certificate of Compliance, in breach of Regulation 54 of the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011 (L.I. 1991), with some using unauthorised Studio-to-Transmitter Link (STL) frequencies and unapproved transmitter locations.
