Rev. Ing Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko
Rev. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko is an electronic communications engineer with depth of experience in radio frequency spectrum management, telecom and broadcasting regulation, policy formulation, change management, ICT industry research, writing, publishing, teaching and public speaking. He has been actively involved in the electronic communications’ regulatory environment in Ghana and within the Africa region over the last fifteen (15) years.
He was appointed Acting Head of the Engineering Division of the National Communications Authority on 2nd June, 2021.
As the head of the Engineering Division, he is charged with the responsibility of leading a team of engineers and other professionals to plan, administer, manage, license and monitor the radio frequency spectrum for telecommunications and broadcasting services in Ghana.
He started his career with the NCA as a National Service Person in 2004 and was thereafter engaged as a Frequency Management Officer. He has since served the Authority diligently, rising through the ranks to become Ag. Head of the Engineering Division. Over the period, he has served as a Chairman or Member of several Technical and Regulatory Committees which formulated standards / guidelines /procedures for industry regulation and made far reaching recommendations which have impacted the strategic direction of the Authority to date. For over eight (8) years Edmund served as the Recorder for the Technical/Operations Sub-Committee of the NCA Board of Directors.
At the international front, he is the current Chairman of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Task Group on Development of Spectrum Recommendations for Rural Connectivity and a member of the Technical Committee of the ITU Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA). He previously advised the Administrations of Benin and the Gambia on Digital Broadcasting and LTE licensing respectively. He also served as a Consultant/Resource person to the ECOWAS Commission on Broadcasting and Spectrum Management on multiple occasions.
As Secretary to the Digital Broadcasting Migration Committee (DBMC) from 2010 to 2016, he coordinated the work of a multi-stakeholder national body to formulate and implement policy on the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting. He initiated several interventions in the transition process including the development of minimum specifications for DTT receivers which were adopted as an ECOWAS specification in 2013.
He played a key coordinating role in major licensing processes in Ghana including the 6th Mobile License in 2008, the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) Licenses in the 2600MHz band in 2010 & 2012 and the 800 MHz spectrum licenses in 2015 & 2018/19, etc.
Edmund has served as a speaker or facilitator for various telecom/spectrum management/broadcasting conferences and workshops organised by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Southern Africa Digital Broadcasting Association (SADIBA), Multichoice Africa, West African Telecom Regulators’ Association (WATRA), African Communications Regulators Network (ACRAN) for Anglophone Countries, Kemilinks International and the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
Edmund obtained his first degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and a Masters in Communications Management degree from the Buckinghamshire (Bucks) New University, England.
He is a member of the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) and a Member of the Institute of Electrical Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
Edmund is a Minister of the Methodist Church Ghana, a published author and the founding leader of the evangelistic outreach ministry, Nkwa.Life.