Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Sam Nartey George, has revealed that he almost ordered a nationwide internet shutdown to halt the circulation of disturbing videos following the August 6 helicopter crash.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Mr George described the period as a “mixed experience” and praised the swift cooperation of telecom companies in responding to the crisis.
“When it comes to the coverage of the tragedy, I’d say it’s been mixed for me, and let me say a very big thank you to the telecom companies – MTN, Telecel, and AirtelTigo Ghana,” he said.
He explained that his concern grew as graphic videos began flooding social media, especially WhatsApp, which is beyond the control of any government.
“When the incident happened, I was distraught, but we still had a responsibility to the state. I got a call with the videos that started circulating. Most of them were on WhatsApp, a platform not controlled by any country — it’s a private business,” he explained.
Faced with the situation, the Minister said he considered two difficult options.
“One was to shut down the internet in the country to prevent further spread of the videos, because government had not officially completed communication to the families. I was worried about the mental health of the victims’ children and spouses, and such tragedy needs to be broken in a certain way,” he said.
However, he noted that shutting down the internet would have had wider consequences.
“That was one option — to shut down, make a public announcement and say we’re turning off the internet for a period to allow for calm. But that also came with its own consequences. Many of you stream the news, and cutting access could create a ripple effect worse than what we were trying to fix. So, we left it intact.”
Instead, Mr George opted for a coordinated, behind-the-scenes effort involving both local and international stakeholders.
“I immediately reached out to Meta and activated a POC we had there to see what they could do, since they control WhatsApp. I also made personal calls to senior vice presidents I knew at Meta. They assured me they would look into the matter.”
His focus then shifted to local operators, who responded swiftly.
“I reached out to the NCA and asked them to contact all the CEOs. I personally called the three CEOs and said they should work with the NCA. We sent out about 30 million text messages within two hours, and the telecom companies bore the cost,” he said.
Mr George stressed that all restraint messages sent from the Ministry were fully funded by the telecom operators.
“All those messages asking people to exercise restraint were paid for by the telecom companies themselves as part of working with us. The NCA coordinated the nationwide blast,” he concluded.
Source: myjoyonline
ALSO READ:
