The National Communications Authority (NCA) is hosting a four-day international forum aimed at developing a national spectrum policy and spectrum roadmap for Ghana.
The forum, dubbed the African Follow-Up Phase of the 7th Cohort of the ICT Policy & Regulation – Institutional Strengthening (IPRIS)-SPIDER Project, is being held between March 9 – 12, 2026 in Accra.
A statement from NCA said the objective of this four-day interaction is to create a forward-looking framework that will guide spectrum allocation, licensing, and utilisation over the next five (5) to ten (10) years.
Through this initiative, the NCA aims at aligning Ghana’s spectrum management approach with global best practices, enhancing proactive planning within the Authority and ultimately driving the pursuit of universal access to communication services.
In his welcome remarks at the opening of the forum, the Director General of the NCA, Rev. Ing. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko spoke of how the gathering was a defining moment in Africa’s digital transformation journey, saying “Across our continent, connectivity has evolved from a convenience into a fundamental enabler of development. It supports commerce, education, healthcare, governance, financial inclusion, and social interaction. Yet despite the remarkable expansion of mobile and broadband networks across Africa over the past decade, a persistent digital divide remains between urban and rural communities, between the connected and the underserved, and between those who can fully leverage digital technologies and those who cannot. As regulators, we stand at the centre of efforts to bridge this divide.”
In alignment with the mission of the IPRIS-SPIDER programme, Rev. Ing. Fianko indicated that the mandate of the NCA, far from being limited to just licensing and compliance, was one that fostered the facilitation of equitable access, a diligent stewardship of national spectrum resources – which he referred to as “the lifeblood of wireless communication”, the protection of consumers, and the enabling of innovation.
“Our work therefore aligns closely with the mission of the IPRIS-SPIDER programme, which seeks to strengthen regulatory capacity and empower institutions to design and implement forward-looking, evidence-based regulatory interventions,” he added.
He also indicated how, through the Change Initiative, the NCA was undertaking a comprehensive review of its spectrum management approach to ensure that Ghana’s spectrum governance framework remained responsive to emerging technologies, evolving market dynamics, and the growing demand for wireless connectivity.
The NCA DG expressed the hope that as Ghana continued to make steady progress in strengthening its digital ecosystem, other African countries would follow suit or continue on the same path, channelling a renewed focus on new technological trends by countries on the continent.
Speaking on behalf of the EU Delegation to Ghana, Gisela Spreitzhofer, Team Leader for Governance and Security, indicated that access to internet services had become crucial in our globalised world, and that the European Union itself was making myriad investments in that regard.
“Ensuring universal internet connectivity has become an imperative for most countries that are striving to compete in a globalised and digitalised world. This is also very important for the European Union, and our Global Gateway Programme defines digital transformation and investments in digital infrastructure,” she said.
Mr. Edem Debrah of the Engineering Division of the NCA delivered a presentation on the Change Initiative and Developing a Forward-Looking Spectrum Management Policy and Strategy.
The other staff of the NCA who were on the framing team were Ama Sekyere Boateng, Senior Manager (Regulatory Authority Division); Isaac Laryea, Manager (Engineering Division); Emmanuel Neizer, Manager (Research, Innovation, Policy and Strategy Division); and Eunice Debrah, Officer (Engineering Division).
Also present at the event were participants from the Botswana Communications Regulatory
Authority (BOCRA); the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) of The Gambia; the
Communications Authority (CA) of Kenya; the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) of Lesotho; and the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA).
Participating regional regulatory organisations were the Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA), the East African Communications Organisation (EACO), and the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA).
