The Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC), George Sarpong, has urged the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL) to take a leading role in shaping Africa’s digital storytelling and continental integration.
Speaking on Thursday [October 2, 2025] at the 75th anniversary cake-cutting ceremony of the Daily Graphic in Accra, Mr Sarpong said the next phase of the company’s work must be driven by a digital-first approach to journalism.
“It should be digital first, not digital also,” he stated, stressing that no other publicly owned newspaper in Africa has defined its society the way Graphic has done in Ghana.
Mr Sarpong argued that just as the European Union built a media system to foster unity after years of conflict, Africa also requires an institution that can promote integration and shape a shared identity. “The biggest question before us is: what media is going to save integrated Africa?” he asked.
He said GCGL’s digital platforms could become a continental hub for credible information by curating political, economic, trade and cultural narratives for citizens and the diaspora.
“If Africans, wherever they are, want to understand what is going on, they should be able to say the place to go is Graphic,” he noted.
The NMC Executive Secretary recalled Graphic’s past role in publishing the influential West Africa magazine, which shaped intellectual and political discourse across the continent.
He said that legacy showed Graphic had the potential to once again lead in defining Africa’s story in the global space.
“After 75 years of survival, we need to move beyond survival to create new horizons. And I know that we are more than poised to do that,” Mr Sarpong said, as he congratulated the management, staff and board members of GCGL for sustaining the company’s legacy.
