Open Letter to Hon. Samuel Nartey George: Make Media Sanitation Your Signature Reform

Honourable Minister,
I write as a citizen who believes Ghana’s public square can be better than the noise, fear, and confusion that too often fill our airwaves and timelines. You now hold the portfolio that sits at the junction of technology, content, and public trust. This is your moment to be remembered not for a thousand statements, but for one decisive reform done well. Make sanitation of the Ghanaian media space your signature reform.

Ghanaians are not asking for perfection; we are asking for safety and standards. Every day, children flip through channels and stumble on content that should never be aired before the watershed. Families are lured by miracle cures, money-doubling promises, and spiritual theatrics packaged as entertainment. Predatory advertising rides on these shows, and unscrupulous actors profit from our people’s hopes. The result is a polluted media ecosystem where the sensational drowns out the sensible, and the harmful outshouts the helpful. We all know this story, and we have mourned its worst consequences.

You have shown courage before: pressing for investment, speaking bluntly about decay, and calling things by their name. Yet, as you also know, credibility depends on what follows the talk. Incidents like the DStv impasse exposed a gap between strong rhetoric and the sustained, rules-based enforcement Ghanaians expect. Close that gap. Choose one big, measurable project and drive it to completion: a clean-up and professionalization of Ghana’s media space, across broadcast and digital platforms, with regulators empowered and citizens protected.

Here is a focused path that can be announced and executed without drama. First, unify the rules. Today, standards and licensing conditions live in different corners. Direct the National Media Commission and the National Communications Authority to harmonize their guidelines into a single, public, enforceable Unified Content Code. Put in plain language what is prohibited, what requires disclosure, and what belongs after the watershed. Treat health and finance claims with the seriousness they deserve: no evidence, no broadcast. Money-doubler tricks are not culture; they are consumer abuse.

Second, protect children by design. Reinstate and enforce clear watershed hours on radio and TV. Require visible ratings on all programs. On digital platforms, insist on age-gating, verifiable parental controls, and the disabling of auto-play on kids’ content. If content is flagged by the regulator for harm, mandate takedown within 24 hours; no excuses, no endless loops. Platforms and broadcasters should share liability when they profit from harmful content.

Third, make enforcement swift and transparent. Create a clear ladder of consequences: warning, steep fines, suspension, then revocation - applied without fear or favour. Publish a monthly Enforcement Bulletin showing violations, actions taken, and repeat offenders. The sunlight will do half the work. Ring-fence resources for a small but sharp enforcement unit, and require public logs of regulator meetings with media houses and platforms to guard against quiet capture.

Fourth, reward what we want to see. Dedicate a portion of spectrum and licensing receipts to an independent Public-Interest Media Fund that supports investigative journalism, educational programming, science and culture shows, and local-language/culture content. Open calls, peer review, and strict conflict-of-interest rules will ensure credibility. At the same time, hold advertisers to brand-safety standards. Those who fund harmful content should face penalties alongside the broadcasters who air it.

Fifth, put citizens at the centre. Launch a single complaints channel [Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)/short codes, WhatsApp, and web] where people can submit time-stamped clips. Promise a response timeline: triage within 48 hours, action within seven days. Back this with national media-literacy drives in schools, churches, mosques, and community centres so that our people can spot scams, resist manipulation, and report violations with confidence.

Some will cry censorship. They are wrong. A clean-up is not a gag order on dissent; it is a shield for the vulnerable and a floor under public discourse. The standard is harm, not ideology. Apply it neutrally across politics, religion, business, and entertainment. Build a fast, fair appeals process and publish decisions so everyone sees the rules, the reasons, and the remedies.

This is achievable. You do not need a perfect bill before action; you need a clear direction, a credible Code, and consistent follow-through. Announce the National Media Sanitation Programme with concrete milestones: Code finalized in 30 days; public education and complaints portal live in 45; first enforcement bulletin in 60; first quarterly dashboard listing top violations, fines collected, takedowns executed, and child-safety metrics in 90. Tie these targets to accountable officers and publish the names. If something slips, say why and fix it. People forgive delays; they do not forgive silence.

Minister, Ghana’s media can be a school, not a trap; a marketplace of ideas, not a bazaar of deception. If you choose this reform and drive it with discipline, the benefits will outlast your tenure: safer screens for our children, a level playing field for ethical broadcasters, stronger consumer protection, and renewed trust in the state’s ability to set rules and keep them.

Make it unmistakable and make it yours: sanitize the media space, protect our children, and lift standards for all. History remembers those who used power to protect the vulnerable and dignify the commons. Use yours now.

Respectfully,
Dr. Enoch Ofosu | Waterloo, Canada.

Email: eofosu.contact@gmail.com

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