Hot!
DTT pricing: Be wary how you treat media; it is a pillar of our democracy – GIBA President
The President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Cecil Sunkwa-Mills, has urged the Communication and Digitisation Ministry to reconsider the pricing of the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform.
Addressing the issue on JoyNews’ PM Express, Mr Sunkwa-Mills expressed concerns that the $10,000 per month price to be imposed on broadcasters could potentially cripple media houses in the country.
He therefore called for open discussions with the sector Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, regarding the exorbitant amount to operate on the national DTT platform.
Mr Sunkwa-Mills emphasised the uniqueness of the media in the country, highlighting its pivotal role in sustaining democracy.
The GIBA President highlighted that the association had sought legal interpretation to understand the Minister’s authority to set the figure without proper engagement and clarification on the cost structure.
He stressed the importance of a transparent process and expressed the hope that a reasonable solution would be reached through dialogue.
On the same show, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Communications Committee, Sam George, advised GIBA to withdraw its legal action and instead present a counteroffer to Parliament for resolution.
He believed that litigation would not provide a sustainable solution to the issue at hand.
While acknowledging the legitimacy of GIBA’s concerns, he emphasized that the Minister alone cannot impose such fees, as they must undergo the legislative process for approval by Parliament.
“GIBA has some legitimate case to make even if the $10,000 is the acceptable fee; the Minister on her own cannot impose that fee because this is a public fee and charge, so it must come to the Subsidiary Legislation Of Parliament for them to approve the charges before the minister can charge that fee.
“So the resolution to this matter is the minister to come to parliament with the fee for approval. I also think that GIBA must be minded not to be overly litigious because you may still be in court but if the minister fulfills the legal requirement of coming to Parliament and parliament approves it, you would have to pay,” he said.
Conversations surrounding the DTT national platform was resuscitated after Mrs Owusu-Ekuful’s warned on Monday that television signals to homes and offices may be cut from next year should operators fail to pay for the platform.
The Minister insisted that the warning is as a result of the government having to pay millions of dollars for their use of the platform and can no longer bear the expense.
Digital Terrestrial Television is a technology for terrestrial television where television stations broadcast television content in a digital format.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
The Ghana First Alliance, a movement, is today staging a protest in Accra against the renewal of the mining licence of Gold Fields, a mining company owned by a South African citizen operating in Ghana.
The demonstration, dubbed “Operation No Contract Renewal: South Africa Must Go,” is being held to demand that government does not renew the company’s licence.
The group says their protest is linked to recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa by a protest group known as “march to march.”
They claim that many Ghanaian-owned shops were looted, while others were attacked, with some cases leading to deaths.
They also say the situation forced the Ghana government to evacuate thousands of Ghanaians from South Africa back to Ghana.
Speaking to some of the protesters, they said they will move to several key locations in Accra, including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Jubilee House, where they intend to present their petition.
The protesters are calling on government to terminate the Gold Fields contract and hand over the mining concessions to capable Ghanaians to manage.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
