One Radio Station for Every 50,000 Ghanaians: Is the Airwave Crowded, or Is Choice the Real Question?

Switch on a radio in Accra or Kumasi and the dial seems endless. Now put the numbers beside the population. Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George asked in early November 2026 why a country of 35 million people should have almost 700 radio stations and 120 television stations. He called it "pure madness."

Do the sums the way an ordinary listener would. Seven hundred radio stations for 35 million people works out to about one station for every 50,000 Ghanaians. The 120 TV stations mean one channel for roughly every 290,000 viewers.

Add them together and there are about 820 stations, or one for every 42,700 people. For the audience, that is abundance: many voices, many languages, many choices. For the broadcasters, it means thousands of stations chasing the same small pool of listeners and advertising.

The minister's concern goes beyond the count. He criticised the concentration of stations in urban areas, the chaotic oversaturation, and the opaque ownership structures.

He also said political and religious bodies should not own stations under existing rules, and suggested an ideal cap of fewer than 100 active radio stations.

He warned that, if left to act, he would shut down every political and religiously affiliated media house. He added that he would close most stations if he had government backing.

Seen from the viewer's chair, the question is not simply "how many?" but "what do I actually get?" A crowded dial can still serve the public poorly if many stations repeat the same talk, depend on one patron, or never reach the rural listener. Yet cutting the number is not automatically a gain.

The counter-argument circulating in the debate is that the United States has tens of thousands of stations for a population about nine times larger, so Ghana's figure is not out of line per head. That US figure is quoted in the debate and is not verified here.

The record adds caution.
In June 2025 the NCA shut 62 stations, and President Mahama intervened within hours, after which they were given 30 days to comply. Most of the stations flagged later began the process of regularising. The minister has rejected claims that suspensions were politically motivated.

The Media Foundation for West Africa has expressed deep concern over such shutdown orders. Notably, when he was an MP, he called the 2017 revocation of licences of Radio Gold, Radio XYZ and 131 others illegal.

The fairest test for the viewer is simple: regulate by law, not by threat. If a station lacks valid authorisation or hides its owners, enforcement is fair. If numbers alone decide who goes dark, the audience loses choice, and the public loses its right to hear different voices.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

Sources
Technext24, "Ghana's plan to shut down hundreds of radio and TV stations triggers debate": https://technext24.com/6lgw

Ghanamma, "I'll Shut Down Most Of Ghana's Nearly 700 Radio Stations If I Get Government Backing" (3 Nov 2026): https://www.ghanamma.com/2026/11/03/ill-shut-down-most-of-ghanas-nearly-700-radio-stations-if-i-get-government-backing-sam-george/

Ghanamma / GHNOW, "It is pure madness" (3 Nov 2026): https://www.ghanamma.com/2026/11/03/it-is-pure-madness-sam-george-threatens-to-shut-down-political-and-religious-media-outlets/

Graphic Online, "President intervenes in radio stations closure": https://graphiconline.com/news/general-news/ghana-news-president-intervenes-in-radio-stations-closure-ministry-gives-30-day-ultimatum.html

Ghanaian Times, "58 out of 64 radio stations have written to the NCA": https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/government-accountability-series-58-out-of-64-radio-stations-have-written-to-the-nca-and-started-the-process-of-regularizing-via-paperwork-after-president-mahamas-intervention-sam/amp/

MyJoyOnline, "Even NDC-owned radio stations weren't spared": https://www.myjoyonline.com/even-ndc-owned-radio-stations-werent-spared-sam-george-says-suspensions-were-legal-not-targeted/

AllAfrica / MFWA, "Regulator's Attempt to Close Down 62 Radio Stations Deeply Concerning": https://allafrica.com/stories/202506130029.html

Starr FM, "Radio Gold: Ursula engaged in an illegality in 2017 – Sam George": https://starrfm.com.gh/radio-gold-ursula-engaged-in-an-illegality-in-2017-sam-george/