Just In: President Akufo-Addo directs Minister to suspend limiting GBC channels

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed the Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful to suspend her directive to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to suspend three of its six channels on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT)platform.

A press statement signed and issued by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin said the Minister has been directed to suspend the implementation of the directives given to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).

“The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Thursday, 23rd July 2020, directed the Minister for Communications, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, MP, to suspend the implementation of the directives given to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), in connection with the reduction of GBC’s channels on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform,” a statement from the Communications Directorate of the Jubilee stated.

The National Media Commission (NMC) earlier prevented the Ministry of Communications from limiting the channels of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and Crystal TV on Ghana’s Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform.

This was after it received a petition from from GBC on the matter.

The NMC in a statement said the directive usurps its mandate, hence cannot be approved.

“The Commission wishes to state clearly that the directive given to GBC and Crystal TV by the Minister for Communications purports to usurp the constitutional mandate and authority of the National Media Commission and same cannot be obliged under our current constitutional dispensation,” NMC said in a statement signed by its Chairman, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo.

“It is the view of the Commission that any action by any entity which culminates into limiting or depriving the media of the use of public resources, legitimately allocated to them undermines their capacity to serve the nation as anticipated by the Constitution.”