AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT

Your Excellency,

With the greatest respect, I write to draw your urgent attention to the closure of Wontumi Radio stations in Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi, a move very disturbing.

This development is not only an attack on media freedom but also a direct threat to the very democratic principles upon which our Republic stands.

Mr. President, you will recall that in 2022, when the closure of Radio Gold and other media houses occurred under the previous administration, many voices, including your own, rightly condemned the act as a reintroduction of the “Culture of Silence.” In your open letter to then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, you underscored that democracy can not thrive in an environment where dissenting voices are suppressed and media pluralism is stifled.

Today, we are faced with a similar situation. The shutting down of Wontumi Radio stations mirrors the very practices that we collectively decried not long ago. It threatens to set a dangerous precedent that media houses can be silenced when their views or editorial positions do not align with those in power. Such actions not only diminish Ghana’s democratic image internationally but also weaken citizens’ trust in the institutions meant to safeguard our freedoms.

Your Excellency's leadership is tested not only by the promises we make but by the principles we uphold consistently, whether in or out of power. I therefore humbly appeal to you, as the current Head of State and custodian of our democracy, to intervene immediately and ensure that the rights of these media institutions are respected. Ghana can not afford to slip back into an era where fear and silence replace vibrant debate and the free exchange of ideas.

The closure of Wontumi Radio must not be allowed to stand. Let us protect the pillars of our democracy, remembering always that freedom of expression and media independence are non-negotiable.

GhanaWeb's latest documentary, Sex for Fish, that explores the plights of teenage girls in coastal communities, all in an attempt to survive, is out. Watch it below: