President Mahama instructs NCA to restore licences of 64 radio stations

President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation to work with the National Communications Authority (NCA) to restore the broadcast licences of 64 radio stations closed due to non-compliance.

An official statement from the Presidency, released on Thursday, June 12, 2025, said that regardless of the actions of the NCA were grounded in law, this could undermine media freedom if stations did not equal opportunity to obtain proper documentation. The NCA had earlier shut down the operations of of 62 radio stations found to be in violation of the Electronic Communications Act and related regulations.

Operating with expired authorisations, failure to pay fees, exceeding permitted transmission limits, or continuing to broadcast despite official revocation notices were among the cited breaches. Happy FM, Asaase Radio and Wontumi FM.

Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a stakeholder in Asaase Radio were among the affected stations which was recognized in a post on X that the station failed to renew its license. He wrote that “It was to be renewed by October but only done in December 2024.”

According to the NCA, some of the affected stations had ignored earlier directives issued in 2024, while others did not meet administrative or technical requirements within the given timelines.

The closures followed a compliance audit and a directive from the Ministry to enforce broadcasting standards. President Mahama said while regulatory enforcement was necessary, it must not come at the expense of constitutional rights.

The statement noted that “Requiring radio stations to shut down while awaiting the regularisation of their authorisation could limit the space for expressing such freedoms.”

As a result, he has instructed the Minister to get the NCA on board and agree on a practical timeframe within which the affected stations can meet the essential requirements and return to air.

The instruction is set to offer assistance to broadcasters, especially in areas where local radio continues to be the primary source of news and public awareness.

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