Minister Justifies His Appointment As NCA Board Chairman

The Minister for Transport and Communication, Mr. Felix Owusu Agyepong says his appointment as the Chairman of the Board of the National Communications Authority (NCA) is an indication of the government’s commitment to the development of the industry. The President’s appointments to the board of the NCA has generated debate over the appropriateness or otherwise of the decision.

It has been explained by telecommuncations experts that appointing the Minister as Chairman of the Board will not only compromise the independence of the NCA, but will also mean that the Minister will be supervising himself. Aggrieved persons who are not happy with the decisions of the Authority can also not appeal to the Minister for redress because of his position. This will inturn result in more frequent court actions for redress.

The former Communications Minister who was later appointed Education Minister in the NDC government, Mr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah told JOYFM that the appointment of the Minister as Board Chairman of the NCA would create problems for the country’s telecommunications sector.

According to him, telecommunication regulatory bodies around the world are expected to be free from government interference. “If investors therefore hear that the Minister is the head of the Board, they will express reservations and may even shy way form investing in this sector for fear of political interference.”

However in an interview with JOYFM, the Minister explained that the Pesident took that decision because the industry was still a young one, which needed much attention. “We take IT as an important aspect of our government and we don’t want to leave things to chances. We want show some level of commitment and this is manifested in the way the Board was formed.”

Mr. Owusu Agyepong explained that the country is still struggling to develop its telecommunications sector and his appointment is to ensure that the sector gets the needed boost.