Private legal practitioner, engineer, and lecturer Dr Kwaku Boadu has raised serious concerns about the structure of Ghana’s telecommunications regulatory system, claiming that the setup makes corruption almost inevitable in the industry.
Speaking on The Point of View on Channel One TV on Monday, October 13, Dr Boadu referred to the National Communications Authority Act, 2008 (Act 769), arguing that the law gives too much control to the executive over the operations of the National Communications Authority (NCA).
“I can take you to Act 769, the National Communications Act, and show you why I am bold enough to say on TV that every telecommunications company in this country is a corrupt company,” he said.
Dr Boadu clarified that his claim was not based on direct evidence but on what he described as “circumstantial” evidence drawn from how the law is structured.
“I have no proof, I have no evidence, but circumstantial evidence tells me that if you go to Act 769, the President of Ghana appoints the head of the NCA, appoints the board of the NCA, appoints the officers of the NCA, appoints the staff of the NCA,” he said.
He argued that this level of presidential control effectively forces telecom companies to maintain favourable relationships with politicians in order to operate.
“So, by our law, any telecommunication company that wants to operate in Ghana has to be nice to the politicians,” Dr Boadu added.
He noted that the structure of the law could be a red flag for international investors.
“It is very easy for an investor outside Ghana to take Act 769 and decide whether I am going to Ghana or I am not going to Ghana,” he said.
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