Communications Minister Sam Nartey George says there are “clear cases of abuse of public office” in the renewal of broadcast frequency licenses.
The Ningo Prampram MP revealed that his ministry has begun a full-scale audit as part of government’s ‘Operation Recover All Loot’ (ORAL) initiative.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express On Tuesday, the Minister revealed damning details about a network of frequency authorisations illegally renewed after their expiration—some as recently as January 3, 2025.
“This is not just high-level talk,” the Minister said.
“Spectrum is a finite national resource. And what we’re uncovering is nothing short of fraud. You don’t renew an expired frequency authorisation. You apply fresh. The law is clear.”
He cited the Justice Doste ruling in the Radio Gold vs. NCA case, which affirmed that once a license expires, it cannot be renewed—it must be reapplied for entirely.
“It’s not a driver’s license,” he stressed. “If it lapses, it’s gone. You can’t just walk in and renew.”
According to Sam George, more than 50 infractions have been documented by the National Communications Authority (NCA), with 12 cases being “very clear-cut.”
He accused politically connected individuals of rushing to file renewal applications after the 2020 elections, long after their licenses had expired.
“In their panic, they didn’t even file fresh applications. They filed renewals. And then the board, arrogantly, decided to convert those renewals into new licenses. You don’t have that power, sir. You don’t have that power, ma’am,” he said sharply.
Despite the legal breaches, the Minister said President Mahama had directed a restrained approach:.
“He said, don’t revoke. Engage them. So we’ll suspend those licenses and invite them to regularise their paperwork.”
But he warned that the days of impunity were over.
“I have a legal opinion that all those renewals are null and void. Period. But because we are a compassionate government, we are saying: come and do the right thing.”
He also revealed that six radio stations had already had their licenses suspended for administrative non-compliance, and one, GUMAH FM, had been revoked on national security grounds related to the Bawku conflict.
“That revocation is final,” he said.
On concerns that the crackdown could be interpreted as media censorship, the Minister was unbothered.
“This is not about press freedom. This is about fairness. Why should Multimedia, which meets all obligations, operate in the same space as those who don’t pay taxes or submit accounts?”
He emphasised that any media house failing to meet tax and documentation obligations would face suspension.
“I have met the Media Foundation for West Africa. I’ve shown them the data. The next step is GIBA. Nobody will say we didn’t engage. But we must bring sanity into the system.”
For Sam George, this isn’t just policy—it’s personal.
“There’s a reason we call it Operation Recover All. We are recovering every single public resource misallocated, misused, or stolen. Frequency spectrum is one of them. The law will be strictly applied.”
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