The report that the National Communications Authority (NCA) has approved the application of Space X Starlink GH LTD, operators of Starlink Satellite Broadband, to offer Satellite Broadband Services in Ghana is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Friday.
The Graphic reports that the National Communications Authority (NCA) has approved the application of Space X Starlink GH LTD, operators of Starlink Satellite Broadband, to offer Satellite Broadband Services in Ghana.
The approval of the application follows the policy approval of the Satellite Licensing Framework in Ghana by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation.
The administrative processes toward the issuance of the license are ongoing and will be completed shortly.
Starlink, owned by SpaceX operates a network of low-Earth orbit satellites that transmit signals from satellite to satellite and ground stations to provide high-speed broadband internet services. Starlink’s standard residential internet service costs $120 per month for unlimited data, plus a one-time equipment fee of between $599–$2,500.
It is currently available in seven African countries: Mozambique, Eswatini, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Nigeria.
However, there is a growing black market that has allowed users to bypass local restrictions on Starlink.
Reports emerged earlier this month that Elon Musk’s SpaceX was clamping down on access to its Starlink satellite-internet constellation from unauthorized countries.
Some Starlink customers in Sudan, Zimbabwe, and South Africa have received notifications from SpaceX that their access will be terminated by the end of the month. Starlink has not been approved by regulators in those countries.
The newspaper says that in a recent speech delivered at the European Parliament on April 24, 2024, Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Union Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, representing High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell, addressed the concerns surrounding Ghana’s Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Act, commonly known as the anti-LGBTIQ Bill.
Highlighting Ghana’s status as a solid democracy and a stabilizing force in the region, Mr. Sinkevičius acknowledged the country’s positive steps in human rights protection, including recent efforts towards abolishing the death penalty.
However, he also noted existing challenges, particularly in safeguarding the rights of sexual minorities.
The passing of the anti-LGBTIQ Bill in Ghana’s Parliament has raised concerns both domestically and internationally. The Bill is currently under scrutiny by the Supreme Court regarding its constitutionality. Moreover, it awaits presidential assent to become law.
He said the European Union, alongside its Member States, has closely monitored the developments surrounding the Bill since its introduction in 2021.
Despite the passage of the bill by Ghana’s Parliament, Mr. Sinkevičius expressed confidence in Ghana’s commitment to human rights, citing public statements from the President and senior government officials highlighting concerns about potential setbacks in human rights and financial implications.
Ghana’s role in ensuring regional stability and its evolving partnership with the EU were also emphasized. He said the EU values Ghana’s commitment to shared interests, including support for a rules-based multilateral order and the abolition of the death penalty.
The speech concluded with a reaffirmation of the EU’s partnership with Ghana, highlighting mutual respect for human rights and a commitment to follow Ghana’s promising path in upholding universal values.
The Ghanaian Times reports that as part of Ghana’s renewed drive to eliminate malaria by 2028, a mass drug ad¬ministration (MDA) of anti-malaria drugs is expected to be rolled out in selected districts in the Greater Accra Region from next month.
The intervention, to be piloted in the Krowor District of the region, is expected to help break disease trans¬mission and reduce malaria deaths in the country.
Eventually, 20 other districts earmarked for malaria elimination would be roped into the interven¬tion as part of strategies under the new National Malaria Elimination Plan (2024-2028) which seeks to reduce malaria death and case incidences by 90 and 50 per cent respectively by 2028.
At the commemoration of World Malaria Day in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Programme Manager of the Malaria Control Programme, Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Nana Yaw Peprah, said key achievements made in the malaria fight so far included reduced related mortalities from 333 in 2019 to 146 in 2023.
While under-five deaths have reduced by 50 per cent from 2019 to 2023, testing for malaria among the population has increased by five per cent- from 94 per cent in 2019 to 98 per cent in 2023.
However, with malaria admis¬sions across all ages seeing marginal increase from 394,027 in 2019 to 445,079 in 2023, Dr Peprah called for multi-stakeholder support in helping eliminate malaria.
The Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboag¬ye, speaking on the local theme, “Health Equity, the cornerstone for malaria elimination in Ghana,” said the new drive for malaria elimination was key to sustaining livelihoods and promoting socio-economic growth.
He explained that the 21 districts for malaria elimination were selected because of their low malaria burden level with “parasite prevalence less than one per cent and malaria incidence less than 50 per 1000 population”.
The newspaper says that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has directed the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Ghana Rev¬enue Authority (GRA) to renegoti¬ate the revenue assurance contract with Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML).
This directive follows recom¬mendations made by Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG) In¬ternational Limited, a multinational professional services network, in its audit report on SML submitted to the President about six weeks ago.
A statement issued and signed by the Director of Communication at the presidency, Mr Eugine Arhin, in Accra yesterday said the direc¬tive was in line with the president’s acceptance of recommendations in the report, which called for a review of the revenue assurance contract, to focus on improvements to en¬hance its effectiveness.
“There is a clear need for the downstream petroleum audit ser¬vices provided by SML. GRA and the state have benefitted from these services since SML commenced providing them,” the statement said.
President Nana Akufo-Addo commissioned KPMG to investi¬gate the contract between SML and GRA on January 2, 2024, following media reports on the contract.
GIK/APA