Minister must not serve as board chairman

Participants at a one-day workshop on national communication regulations have called for the removal of the Minister of Communication as the chairman of the board of the National Communication Authority.

They contended that his removal will make the authority neutral, independent and more transparent in its activities.

The one-day workshop which was organised by the Legal Resource Centre, a non-governmental organisation, attracted participants from the communication industry, legal experts, policy makers, consumers and media practitioners.

It was aimed at gathering views and concerns of stakeholders in the industry about the National Communications Regulatory Bill which is before Parliament.

They argued that the position of the minister on the board does not only breed conflict of interest, but it is also an affront to free enterprise because it does not engender competition in the communication industry.

They noted that it is unacceptable for a government which holds 70 per cent shares in Ghana Telecommunications (GT) Company Limited to at the same time set standards and regulate activities of all the players in the industry.

According to them, the appointment of the independent members of the authority should be done in the same way as for the National Media Commission where in members are chosen by interested groups.

This, the participants noted, will reflect the interest of all stakeholders, lay the foundation for a level playing field as well as ensure that the telecommunications industry generates enough revenue for the socio-economic development of the country.

Prof. Kwame Karikari, a lecturer at the School of Communications Studies of the University of Ghana, stated that having an effective regulation alone will not solve the problem but there should be committed and independent personnel as well as adequate equipment to monitor players in the industry and added that “ a law is worse if it cannot be enforced.”

He welcomed the pluralism and the proliferation of the airwaves which he said is good for good governance, the music industry as well as the sharing of ideas.

Prof Karikari, however, called for a National Broadcasting Act to categorise radio stations into profit making, non-profit making and those that are committed to social services so that others can be encouraged to be in the rural areas.

The President of the Internet Service Providers Association, Nana Yaa Prempeh, expressed shock and dismay at the way government is going about the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) issue.

She called on the authority to put in place regulations to govern the system so that Ghanaians will derive maximum benefits from it, adding that the technology is not very costly.

Mr Kwesi Pratt, Editor-in-Chief of the Insight, presenting a paper on the regulations of the authority, called for a restraint on the powers of the President under wars and emergency situations so that they will not be used arbitrarily to control or nationalise other private communications entities as stated in the draft bill.