Media commission appoints committee for GBC reforms

The National Media Commission (NMC) has appointed an eight-member committee to spearhead the reformation of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), to make it a functional and meaningful public broadcast entity.

In a statement issued by the NMC in Accra last Monday, the committee is expected to examine the relevance of public service broadcasting in the face of media pluralism, assess the impact of GBC as a public broadcaster as against its state ownership.

It is also expected to provide a framework for best practices by the management of GBC and also its funding and governance structure for the national interest.

The Committee

The committee is made up of known experts from diverse sectors of the economy and are expected to bring their expertise to champion the reformation process.

The committee has Ms Elizabeth Ohene as the Chairperson.

Other members of the committee include Mr Ace Annan Ankomah, Mr Berfi Apenteng and Mr Gilbert Tietaah.

The rest are Mr Kofi Yeboah Kodie, Professor Yakubu Zakaria, Mrs Wilma Quarmyne and Dr Esi Ansah as members.

The committee is to complete work within six months after which it will present a report to the NMC. The NMC will then engage the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for further deliberations and subsequent adoption of the report for implementation.

The formation of the committee has been necessitated by the dwindling fortunes of the state broadcaster.

Background

Over the years, GBC has been struggling to keep its operations in business.

In 2019, for instance, the state broadcaster and its many outlets across the country were on the verge of going off-air due to a GH¢25 million debt it owed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

In a meeting with President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, the NMC Chairman, Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, said the state broadcaster’s indebtedness had dire consequences for GBC.