Wean GNA off govt subvention — Blay-Amihere
The National Media Commission (NMC) has tasked members of the reconstituted board of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to work towards weaning the agency off government subvention.
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That, it said, had become necessary because the GNA currently was unable to acquire most of its requisite working tools due to the low inflow of subvention from the government which was affecting the operations of the agency.
The Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, who inaugurated the board in Accra on Thursday, said the NMC expected the current board to lead the GNA on that journey towards financial sustainability and independence.
He said the GNA was one of six state-owned enterprises which had been earmarked to wean themselves off government subvention.
According to him, weaning the GNA off government subvention would help the agency to improve upon generating internal funds to boost its operations and execute its core mandate effectively.
Mr Blay-Amihere reminded the board that like all state-owned companies, the state-owned media was required to make profit and not be a burden to the state.
The members of the board under the chairmanship of Dr Wilberforce Sefakor Dzisah, Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, include, Ms Edith Dankwa, the Chief
Executive Officer of the Business and Financial Times newspaper, Nii Addokwei Moffatt and Mr Enimil Ashon, both journalists.
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The other members are Mr Edmund Fianko of the NCA, Mr Francis Kokutse, and Dr Bernard Otabil, the General Manager of GNA.
Subvention
On the low inflow of government subvention, Mr Blay-Amihere said he understood that there had been no release of subventions for assets or capital expenditure for most government subvented institutions in more than two years.
Mr Blay-Amihere said against that backdrop, it would be the responsibility of the board, in collaboration with management, to ensure the business of GNA thrived with strong emphasis on income.
He said like other state-owned media, the GNA was faced with many challenges ranging from poor financial base to lack of logistics and resources to execute its core mandate effectively; a situation, he said, required the urgent attention of the board.
Roadmap for operation
To facilitate their operations, Mr Blay-Amihere charged the board to acquaint itself with the Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution and the NMC Act 449 which had provided the road map for all media stakeholders, charging them to defend and promote press freedom and freedom of speech.
In his remarks, the new Board Chair, Dr Dzisah, said the board was poised to do all it could, with the help of all stakeholders, to ensure that the GNA regained its lost glory both locally and internationally.
He said the board would try as much as possible to think outside the box to find new strategies to successfully make the agency financially independent and efficient.
For his part, the General Manger of the GNA, Dr Bernard Otabil, said the management of the agency was looking up to the new board to reposition the GNA from where it was now to a better position.
Writer’s email: doreen.andoh@graphic.com.gh