Portrait of Ing. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko

Ghana’s Candidate · ITU Radio Regulations Board 2027–2030

Ing. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko

  • Director-General, National Communications Authority (NCA), Ghana
  • Member, ITU Radio Regulations Board, 2023–2026
Email edmund.fianko@nca.org.gh Mobile / WhatsApp +233 (0)244 972 464

Profile

Electrical and electronic engineer with over two decades in radio-frequency spectrum management and communications regulation at the national, regional and international levels. Rose through the ranks of Ghana’s National Communications Authority from frequency management officer to Director-General. Brings experience in spectrum planning, assignment and monitoring, cross-border frequency coordination, harmful interference resolution, competition regulation and dispute resolution. Serving member of the ITU Radio Regulations Board since January 2023.

International Appointments

2023 – 2026
Member, ITU Radio Regulations BoardCurrent
Elected to the 12-member Board at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 (PP-22), Bucharest, Romania
Jan 2022 – date
Director for Ghana, Board of DirectorsCurrent
Regional African Satellite Communications Organization (RASCOM)
2021 – 2024
Chairman, ATU Task Group on Development of Spectrum Recommendations for Rural Connectivity
African Telecommunications Union
2019 – 2023
Member, Technical Advisory Committee (TechCom)
ITU Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA), a joint AU–EU–ITU programme

International Consultancy Assignments

2024
Spectrum management advisory assignment
National Communications Authority (NatCA), Sierra Leone
2022
Consultant to the ECOWAS Commission
Finalised the technical details and the investment and operating costs for extending the ECOWAS Radio Station from Monrovia to all 15 Member States, including satellite space segment
2014
Consultant to the ECOWAS Commission
Concept note and terms of reference for feasibility studies on a proposed ECOWAS TV and radio station; advisory on the transition from analogue to digital television in West Africa
2014
Resource person
The Gambia Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) on LTE licensing for ISPs; Benin’s National Commission for Digital Migration on the DTT legal and regulatory framework

ITU Conference Profile

Plenipotentiary
PP-18, Dubai · PP-22, Bucharest (elected to the RRB)
Radiocommunication
RRC-06 · WRC-12 · WRC-15 · WRC-19 · WRC-23, Dubai (as RRB Member)
Preparatory
Head of Ghana Delegation, CPM23-2, Geneva (2023) · Rapporteur, ECOWAS and Commonwealth preparatory meetings for WRC-15 · ATU and ECOWAS preparatory meetings for WRC-15, WRC-19 and WRC-23
ITU-D and Council
WTDC-22, Kigali · ITU Council 2022, Geneva
ITU-R Study Groups
Study Groups 1 (Spectrum Management), 5 and 6 (Broadcasting), and Task Group 5/1, 2011 – 2019

Selected Speaking Engagements

2026
Panellist, “Ask the Regulator: LEO Satellite Policies”
GSMA Ministerial Programme, MWC Barcelona, 3 March 2026, with the Chairman of TRAI (India) and the President of Anatel (Brazil)
2023
Speaker, DAB+ session
International Broadcasting Convention (IBC), Amsterdam
2018
Speaker
Commonwealth Spectrum Management Forum, Balaclava, Mauritius
2017
Speaker
SADIBA Conference on Building Digital TV in Africa, Johannesburg
2013 – 2016
Speaker, Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum Africa
Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO): Johannesburg, Arusha and Lagos
2014
Speaker
ATU–Eutelsat DTT Seminar for West Africa, Abidjan
2013
Facilitator
ECOWAS Workshop on Common Minimum Specifications for DTT Receivers, Accra
2011
Speaker
First Focal Point Meeting of the African Communications Regulators Network (ACRAN), Arusha
2010
Speaker
Africast 2010, Abuja

Career at the National Communications Authority, Ghana

Jan 2025 – date
Director-GeneralCurrent
First Director-General promoted from within the Authority’s own ranks
2021 – 2025
Director, Engineering
Led the Engineering Division and all spectrum management functions: planning, assignment, licensing, monitoring and automation. Chaired the Significant Market Power Operations Team.
2017 – 2021
Deputy Director, Engineering
2015 – 2017
Principal Manager, Engineering, and Head of the Broadcasting Unit
2011 – 2014
Manager, Engineering (Deputy Manager, January – October 2011)
2007 – 2010
Assistant Manager, Engineering
2004 – 2007
Officer, Frequency Management (National Service, December 2004 – August 2005)

Selected Achievements

Cross-border coordination

Led frequency coordination with neighbouring administrations. Secured withdrawal of objections by Togo and Côte d’Ivoire to over 104 FM notices, clearing them for publication in the International Frequency List.

Spectrum licensing

Drafted selection and award procedures for major licences: sixth mobile licence (2008), 2.6 GHz BWA (2011) and the 800 MHz band (2015, 2018), raising over US$225 million for Government.

Digital broadcasting migration

Secretary to Ghana’s Digital Broadcasting Migration Committee, 2010 – 2017. Developed the minimum specifications for DTT receivers, adopted as an ECOWAS specification in 2013.

Competition regulation

Chaired the Significant Market Power Operations Committee from 2020, leading the SMP designation and remedies: national roaming, technology neutrality, price regulation and asymmetric interconnection.

Spectrum management automation

Initiated and led the replacement of the Automated Spectrum Management System, from technical specification and tender evaluation to design review, testing and user training (2020 – 2022).

Emergency services

Chaired the national implementation of location-based services for calls and SMS to the 112 emergency number across all mobile networks.

Academic & Professional Qualifications

2023
MPhil, Applied Business Leadership and Management
Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM), Spain
2011
MA, Communications Management
Buckinghamshire New University, United Kingdom
2004
BSc, Electrical/Electronic Engineering
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana
Professional
Member, Ghana Institution of Engineers (MGhIE) · Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Publications

2025
Sabogu-Sumah, R., Opare, K. A., Gadze, J. D., Agyekum, K. O.-B. O., Fianko, E. Y. and Gookyi, D. N. A. “A Heuristic K-Means-Based Unsupervised Machine Learning Model for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Mounted Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface for Enhanced 5G and Beyond Networks Performance.” International Journal of Computer Applications, 186(73).
DOI: 10.5120/ijca2025924584
2024
Sabogu-Sumah, R., Opare, K. A., Gadze, J. D., Fianko, E. Y. and Ashong, T. “Reconfigurable Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces Enabled Spectrum Access for Beyond 5G Networks.” 2024 ASU International Conference in Emerging Technologies for Sustainability and Intelligent Systems (ICETSIS), IEEE.
DOI: 10.1109/ICETSIS61505.2024.10459475
2023
Sabogu-Sumah, R., Opare, K. A., Gadze, J. D., Kponyo, J. J., Abdul-Rahman, A., Yeboah-Boateng, E. O. and Fianko, E. Y. “Optimal Coverage Enhancement for Multiple UAVs Using Multi-agent Learning Technique.” International Journal of Computing and Digital Systems, 13(1).
DOI: 10.12785/ijcds/1301109
2016
Wiafe, F., Koomson, D. and Fianko, E. Y. “Significance of the Old Testament Concept ‘The Sovereignty of God’ in National Elections.” The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention, 3(7).
DOI: 10.18535/ijsshi/v3i7.06
Books
Editor, Connecting A Nation (2026), the institutional history of the National Communications Authority · Author, Let My People Grow (2019)

Other Service

  • Board Member, Ghana News Agency, 2013 – 2017. Chaired the Audit Report Implementation Committee and the Projects Sub-Committee.
  • Languages: English, Twi, Ga, Dangme.