NCA Confirms Ordering Shut Down Of Radio Tongu

Accra, 13th February 2020: The National Communications Authority (NCA) hereby confirms that it has suspended the broadcasting authorisation of Tongu Community Multimedia Network and closed down Radio Tongu, 92.1 MHZ, in Sogakope.

The chronology of events is as follows:

1. Tongu Community Multimedia Network (Radio Tongu) was first authorised on 24th March, 2009 to operate a Community FM radio broadcasting station at Tongu in the Volta Region.

2. Upon expiration of the initial authorisation, the station applied for renewal and was granted a Provisional Renewal Authorisation on 10th August, 2016 with a reduction in its coverage radius from 25km to 5km.

3. The station appealed for a restoration of their coverage radius to 25km on 30th October 2016. After a series of meetings and correspondences, the NCA amended the coverage radius of Radio Tongu to 15km.

4. Prior to the grant of the Provisional Renewal Authorisation, the NCA received a petition in 2014 from the Concerned Citizens of Tongu complaining about the manner in which Radio Tongu was being managed and operated by the Manager of the station, Mr. Bestway Zottor. The petition was copied to the South Tongu District Assembly and the Office of the Representative of UNESCO to Ghana.

5. In April 2019, the petitioners sent a reminder about their earlier petition to the Authority.

6. As a result of the petition, the NCA held a meeting with the petitioners and representative of the District Chief Executive at our Ho Regional office on 14th June, 2019. The Chairman / Manager of Tongu Radio failed to attend the said meeting.

7. The petitioners, on 9th January, 2020, wrote to the NCA alleging that Mr. Bestway Zottor was using the radio station for defamation, religious teaching to create confusion among churches and for political campaigns promoting the separatists’ agenda of the Western Togoland movement.

8. The NCA also took into consideration the arrest by the police of Mr. Bestway Zottor, the manager of the station, upon the request of the District Security Council, for using the station to promote the agenda of a separatist movement in the Volta Region.

9. After a critical review of the escalating situation and pending the resolution of the security and public interest concerns in accordance with Section 13(1)(e) of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008, Act 775, the NCA, on 5th February, 2020, suspended the Authorisation of Radio Tongu. This was on grounds of national security and the public interest.

10. The Ho Office of the NCA enforced the suspension on 11th February, 2020 by closing down the station.

11. The NCA will engage the District Security Council of South Tongu District in due course for advice on any changes in the security and public interest concerns relating to Radio Tongu.

12. For the avoidance of doubt, and in line with the conditions of authorisation for community radios, operators cannot use such limited assets to propagate the political agenda of separatists and breach communal peace.

The NCA reiterates its commitment to executing its mandate as set out by law and will continue to work towards the telecommunication industry in Ghana. The Authority calls on authorisation holders to adhere to the tenets and regulations of their authorisations strictly, and within the realm of the law.