The National Communications Authority (NCA) has been honoured with two awards at the eighth Africa Digital Economy Awards (ADEA) held in Nairobi, Kenya.
The authority received the Africa Communications Regulator of the Year award, while its Director-General, Joe Anokye, was honoured for his outstanding leadership in managing the country’s communications industry, securing him a spot among the top 50 digital economy leaders on the continent.
Organised by the Instinctwave Group, publishers of the Digital Economy Magazine, the Africa Digital Economy Awards is aimed at recognising leaders, innovators, creatives, and inventions in Africa that leverage digital innovations to revolutionise both private and public sectors, impact lives, and transform cultures.
Authority
Presenting the awards to the NCA in Accra, Akin Naphtal, CEO of Instinctwave Group, explained that the NCA’s commendable policies and initiatives, such as the successful implementation of the SIM card re-registration exercise in the country to establish a secure SIM database, were highlighted as efforts that did not only instill confidence and security but also played a vital role in curbing cybercriminal activities and promoting a sanitised digital space for all users.
He added that during the year under review, the authority also spearheaded the piloting of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) in Accra and Kumasi, making Ghana the pioneer in West Africa and the fourth in Africa to deploy DAB.
The initiative is aimed at addressing frequency constraints and enhancing reception quality.
He further noted that in a strategic move to address market imbalances and enhance consumer choice in the telecommunications sector, the NCA introduced technology neutrality for non-SMP operators; the agency actively participated in the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation’s Girls in ICT programme, hosting 100 selected participants for mentorship as part of the 2023 National Girls in ICT Initiative.
DG award
Mr Anokye was acknowledged for establishing a standard of excellence in digital economy leadership and for his transformative contributions to the communications industry.
“His commitment to excellence in digital economy leadership and his transformative contributions to the communications sector have been instrumental in establishing the NCA as a benchmark in regulatory infrastructure,” Mr Naphtal said.
Since his appointment in 2017, Mr Anokye has been lauded for revitalising the communications industry in Ghana with the establishment of key regulatory tools such as the Broadcasting Monitoring Centre, NCA-CERT, and Type Approval Lab, a feat that has earned him a place among the Top 50 Digital Economy Leaders in Africa.
His visionary leadership has been central to the NCA’s success in telecommunications regulation, attracting numerous benchmark visits from various organisations.
Gratitude
Mr Anokye expressed his gratitude by highlighting the significant achievements of the NCA in the field of telecommunications.
He also expressed his delight in the recognition bestowed upon him and indicated that “the awards reminded us of our responsibility to continue striving for excellence in our mandate.”
He also recognised the efforts of the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the NCA Board, management, and staff who tirelessly supported him in his work.
The NCA has in recent times supervised the implementation of National Roaming in Ghana for the benefit of all telecommunications consumers in Ghana.
This effort has extended beyond Ghana with NCA, under the leadership of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation with its counterpart in Cote d’Ivoire, to implement bilateral free roaming.
Since being nominated for the award, the NCA continues to develop more regulatory interventions, signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Togo for the implementation of bilateral free roaming and collaborating with the National Media Commission (NMC) to leverage the NCA’s Broadcast Monitoring Centre for the reporting of offensive and inappropriate broadcasting content in Ghana.
