Ghana’s Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko elected to ITU’s Radio Regulatory Board

The Acting Director of Engineering at the National Communications Authority (NCA), Ing. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, has been elected by member countries of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) representing Region D (Africa) for the 2023-2026 term.

The elections for the Council were held at the ongoing ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 in Bucharest, Romania. The two other council members representing Region D are Egypt’s Dr. ElSayed Azzouz and Mr. Hassan Talib of Morooco.

Ing. Fianko becomes the second Ghanaian after the former Acting Director General of National Communications Authority, Major (Rtd) John Ray K. Tandoh was elected to Radio Regulations Board at 1998 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Minneapolis.

The RRB comprises twelve (12) members representing the following five ITU regions: Region A (The Americas), Region B, (Western Europe), Region C (Eastern Europe and Northern Asia), Region D (Africa), and Region E (Asia and Australasia). The 12 members of the Board are elected at the Plenipotentiary Conference who perform their duties independently and on a part-time basis.

Responding to his victory, Ing. Fianko indicated that he is poised to ensure that during his tenure, he will strive to uphold the principles of the RRB and the Constitution of the ITU. He added that by being a member of the RRB, he will ensure that services operating on frequencies that have been allocated by the ITU do so within the defined limits as set in the Radio Regulations.

He also said he is optimistic that being on the Board will not only benefit Ghana but will also enhance the fair application of principles in the resolution of disputes with neighbouring countries on frequency issues.

Ing. Fianko is an Electronic Communications Engineer with experience in radio frequency spectrum management, policy formulation, competition regulation, change management, ICT industry research and technical writing spanning over eighteen (18) years.

The Radio Regulatory Board Role

The Board’s role includes the following:

1. Approving Rules of Procedure used by the Radiocommunication Bureau in applying the provisions of the Radio Regulations and registering frequency assignments made by Member -States;
2. Addressing matters referred by the Bureau which cannot be resolved through application of the Radio Regulations and Rules of Procedure;
3. Considering reports of unresolved interference investigations carried out by the Bureau at the request of one or more administrations and formulates Recommendations;
4. Providing advice to Radiocommunication Conferences and the Radiocommunication Assemblies;
5. Considering appeals against decisions made by the Radiocommunication Bureau regarding frequency assignments;
6. Performing any additional duties prescribed by a competent conference or by the Council.

Source: National Communications Authority