Election 2020: Government of Ghana debunks claims of shutting down social media

According to the government, citizens should disregard the report and treat it as fake news, which only existed in the flimsy imagination of persons making the allegation.

The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu Ekuful made the revelation while addressing the media when she took her turn at the Meet-the-Press Series following allegations from a Social Media Commentator and Blogger based in the United States, Mr Kevin Taylor that the Government, through the National Communications Authority (NCA) had hatched plans to shut down the social media before and during the 2020 general elections in order to influence the outcome of the polls.

She noted that the government has no plans of shutting down the networking sites.

Mrs Ekuful, however, revealed that about 57 FM stations have been closed down following the FM Station Audit, which was carried out between 2017 and 2019.

Within the period, 144 FM stations were identified for various regulatory infractions as directed by the Electronic Communications Tribunal.

She said so far, 30 out of the 57 FM stations that were closed down have submitted fresh applications for FM authorisation, and 15 of them already processed.

The Minister said the remaining 15 applications are being processed, which include; technical and management reviews as well as the approval of the Board.

She, therefore, said it was factually incorrect and blatant untruth for the former President John Mahama and the West Africa Media Foundation to make categorical statements that, only FM stations having loyalty to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) were closed.