Adom 106.3 FM, a subsidiary of Multimedia Group Limited, has been cited for its strong commitment to ethical standards amidst growing concerns about the endorsement of herbal medicine advertisements in Ghana.
The station earned this praise by refusing to air an advertisement for an unlicensed herbal concoction.
The commendation was bestowed upon Adom FM during a public forum on media and herbal medicine advertising in Ghana.
This recognition followed an investigation conducted by The Fourth Estate, Media Foundation for West Africa’s investigative arm, which hypothesized that certain media outlets in Ghana were promoting herbal remedies without the necessary regulatory approvals.
The dubious herbal product in question, which claimed to cure various health issues, including menstrual problems, impotence, infertility, and enhanced libido, was marketed under the name “Macofa Herbal Mixture.”
Macofa Herbal Mixture was entirely fictitious and concocted within The Fourth Estate’s offices, consisting of a blend of popular soft drinks in Ghana—Malta Guinness, Coca-Cola, and Fanta.
The name “Macofa” was derived from the initial letters of these soft drink names.
Notably, Macofa Herbal Mixture had not received any approval from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for its use or advertising.
The Fourth Estate deliberately sought advertising slots for this concoction in the media to investigate concerns that certain media outlets were endangering consumers by endorsing unlicensed herbal products and counterfeit traditional medicine practitioners without conducting the necessary due diligence.
The Fourth Estate’s investigators masqueraded as representatives of “Krodwoa Enterprise,” the alleged producers of Macofa Herbal Mixture, and initiated conversations with marketing and advertising personnel from several prominent media organizations across the country.
Advertising agreements for the herbal product were struck based solely on telephone conversations and money transfers.
Despite being initially considered for the promotion of this counterfeit product, Adom FM demonstrated a high level of scrutiny during its internal evaluation process.
Consequently, the fake product failed to secure airtime on the station.
According to the investigative report published on The Fourth Estate’s website, Adom FM insisted on FDA certification as a prerequisite for advertising Macofa Herbal Mixture.
Adom 106.3 FM’s principled stance in prioritizing public safety by rejecting the promotion of unapproved herbal products serves as a noteworthy example of media responsibility and ethical journalism in the face of potentially harmful endorsements within the herbal medicine industry in Ghana.