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Onua TV/Onua FM sues National Media Commission

Onua TV and Onua FM has sued the National Media Commission (NMC) at the High Court in Accratoday.

The case is seeking an order for perpetual injunction restraining the NMC from taking any steps that adversely seek to impact on the media operations of the company and its associates.

According to them, the suit follows numerous attempts by the NMC to use its constitutionally mandated office to harass Onua TV and Onua FM.

Additionally, the suit is asking the court to among other things declare that some orders issued by the Commission to Onua TV and Onua FM are unlawful and that the conduct of the NMC is refusing to give the stations an opportunity to be heard before imposing sanctions on them is a breach of the law and of natural justice

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Background

On Tuesday November 14, 2023, Media General received a letter from the NMC which was wrongly directed.

The letter complained of a broadcast simultaneously carried by Onua FM and Onua TV. In the same letter, the NMC imposed sanctions on the two stations without asking for their side of the story.

In response to the letter, the Company drew the attention of the Executive Secretary Mr George Sarpong, to the error and also stated that the stations should be given an opportunity to be heard as

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 required by the procedures of the National Media Commission’s own Complaints Settlement Committee.

But Mr George Sarpong has refused to give the stations the opportunity to be heard and has also not named any complainant.

Meanwhile, he has threatened to have the frequency authorisations of the two stations suspended among other illegal actions.

Media General finds the actions and posture of the Executive Secretary arbitrary, unconstitutional and against the principles of natural justice and, therefore, filed a case court to stop the Commission from further harassing the two stations.

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The Company states in the suit that the Media Commission

by its actions has constituted itself into a complainant, a prosecutor and a judge in complaint and from  its actions cannot now be trusted to be a fair and impartial arbiter in any case against Onua TV/Onua FM.

The Media General Group’s Board vehemently rejected the NMC’s actions in letters to NMC dated November 21, 2023 and November 27 2023(attached).

In reaction, the Executive Secretary said he was going to have the frequencies of the two stations suspended and also secretly wrote to the Advertisers Association of Ghana on this veiled threat.

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It must be made clear that the NMC does not have the power to influence editors nor to suspend the frequencies of media houses. If this is allowed to happen it will be a serious threat to media operations in the country as the Commission can take steps to arbitrarily withdraw any broadcaster’s authorization without giving them a hearing if the Executive Secretary in his personal view does

like one presenter or the other to be on air. If this behaviour is allowed, it could destroy the bus of media houses by getting advertisers to stop advertising on their media just because the Ex

Secretary with Political views does not like a media house or a presenter, especially in election season.

As a leading Media company, Media General and its subsidiaries Onua TV and Onua FM are ready to cooperate with the National Media Commission to achieve the highest standards in media practice.

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But it will not allow itself to be intimidated and shall take all steps to protect its business and editorial independence, including actions from the National Media Commission, which appear to be politically motivated.

We have accordingly initiated legal action against NMC to prevent them from these illegal and frankly unconstitutional activities. We urge media houses and members of the public to rise up

against this blatant abuse of office else we lose the democracy and the right to free speech for good.

Gillian Heathcote, Head, Corporate Communications Department, Onua TV/Onua FM

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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.

This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.

The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture. 

“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”

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Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.

The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.

According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.

He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”

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“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.

The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.

According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”

A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.

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Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.

Story By : Vivian Arthur

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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal

Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.


Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.

Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.

Here are the results in Zone Two

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