As part of efforts to get first-hand information about the operational and administrative challenges of the agencies under his Ministry, the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah paid a familiarization tour on Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
The tour was to enable the Minister to assess the challenges the Corporation was facing and to devise strategies to redefine its operation to make it more relevant in the current media landscape.
Addressing the staff of the Corporation, the Minister said MoI was consulting with the National Media Commission to form a Concerted Committee to design a blueprint to make the idea effective.
He said due to the urgency the Ministry attached to the re-organisation of the GBC, members of the Concerted Committee would be constituted in the next 10 days to begin the transformation agenda.
He disclosed that members of the Committee would be drawn from the National Media Commission, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the Ministry of Information and other relevant bodies.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said one of the terms of reference of the Committee was to carve a clear identity for the GBC.
“People expect GBC to be a public service broadcaster in line with its legislation, therefore, it is expected to broadcast in the major local languages, cover major public events, at the same time, it is expected to raise money through commercials and other coverage that will bring money as the private stations do, this is one of the confusions affecting the operations of GBC,†he said.
He added that this unclear identity of the GBC would be clarified by the Committee to enable it to concentrate on its mandate and deliver.
He said the Committee’s report would determine if the GBC should remain a public service broadcaster or operate as a public/commercial broadcaster, adding that if the GBC could not operate the same way after its 85 years existence, the Committee report would inform that decision also.
On his part, the Chairman of the National Media Commission, Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh advised the staff of GBC to cooperate with the Committee to redefine the future of the organisation.
He assured the workers that the transformation did not mean that some of the workers would be laid off.
“This is the time for all of us to demonstrate that we want the GBC to be truly the trusted and authentic voice of Ghanaians,†he said.
In a remark, Mr. Alhassan Amin, Director-General of the GBC said the Corporation has already put in place measures to inject efficiency into its operations.
Juliet Etefe, ISD
