For the Chief Policy Analyst of GIPPO, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobbey media houses in Ghana lack the independence as clearly spelt out in the 1992 constitution.

According to him, government still has a hold on all the press operating in the country since it is obligatory for the media to attain a license with the National Communication Authroity (NCA).

This practice, Dr Wereko-Brobbey stated is unconstitutional.

“For us the issue was we clearly understood the provision of Article 1632. We didn’t need anybody to tell us what to do and that was the genesis of Radio. We knew that once you started the broadcasting pluralism there will be an attempt by government either to clamp down or to seek to control the narrative of how multimedia or plural media would develop.

“In effect seeking to license the development. First with Joy FM and to Radio Gold and a third one. They were all licensed even though there is a clear language that there should be no license,” he said.

Dr Were-Brobbey who was speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show said although licensing the media have become a normal practice, it makes the press lack the independence they need to operate.

“We have a situation in Ghana now where the media is very free, plural it is owned very privately but it is still controlled by government.

“So we have freedom of the media but not independence of the media,” he said on Monday.