The National Media Commission (NMC) on Wednesday inaugurated an eight-member governing board of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and urged the members to collaborate with management for better working conditions of staff.
The Board, chaired by Mr. Ransford Tetteh – a former editor of the Daily Graphic and member of the previous board – has Mr. Peter Claver Nibepwo Sangber-Dery, a chartered accountant and banker; Mrs. Ivy Hoetu, an ICT specialist; and Mr. Daniel Addai, a legal practitioner, as members.
The rest are Dr. N.A. Ibrahim Lartey, a medical doctor and pharmacist; Ms. Juliet Amoah, executive director of Penplusbytes; Dr. Charles Kwening, founder and CEO of Kwening and Associates; and Mr. Albert Kofi Owusu, the General Manager of GNA.
Mr. Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo – the Chairman of the NMC who swore the board members into office – said the Commission remains committed to protecting the state-owned media from undue political influence in order to deliver on their mandate without fear or favour.
He urged the Agency to improve on its marketing skills to attract more subscribers from both the public and private media, in order to improve its internally generated funds (IGF) and carry out the needed investment and facelift the GNA yearns for.
He commended the management and staff for sustaining the industrial harmony and peace currently being enjoyed at the Agency, and urged the staff to use official channels of redress to solve their grievances.
He said the NMC will not countenance any attempt to undermine efforts of the board and management in carrying out their mandate.
He called for collaboration between the management and board toward achieving organisational goals as well as upholding the Agency’s integrity to continue enjoying the people’s trust.
He commended the staff for staying on despite the poor remuneration leading to staff attrition, and called on leadership not to default in remitting the staff so as to encourage them to give of their best.
“We need to work collectively, because it is from our collective efforts that we will be able to make gains,” he said.
Professor Olivia Kwapong, the immediate past board chairperson, reiterated the need to review the Legislative Instrument 1971 (LI 680) establishing the agency to meet current demands of subscribers; for instance, the need to retain its IGF to aid development.
She said in this current state of misinformation through social media, there is a need to build on its accuracy and reliability – a niche that the Agency has carved for itself over the years – to ensure authentic and quality news.
She commended management for introducing the digitalisation process to speed up and improve news dissemination to effectively serve clients.
Mr. George Sarpong, the executive secretary of the NMC, said the GNA has the expertise to fact-check news to counter any misinformation or falsehood before publishing – which has gone a long way to maintaining its credibility and public trust.
Despite the numerous challenges, he said, the Agency has blazed the trail to stay in business and shown resilience in its efforts to be the best among its peers.
Mr. Ransford Tetteh – the board chairman – said GNA could be an ally to the more than 500 radio stations, almost 100 television stations and dozens of newspapers if the staff remain professional and maintain credibility as the Agency’s most potent weapons.
He said a matter of utmost importance to the board, management and Staff is the retention of IGF to fund the needed investments, especially in giving the agency a face-lift; and appealed to management for support in convincing government to achieve that agenda.
He assured the NMC of the board’s commitment to delivering on its mandate of ensuring the Agency’s growth and prosperity, adding: “If we’re in doubt, we will consult”.
Mr. Albert Owusu, the General Manager, said the GNA has initiated plans for the launch of a business and economic news reporting project, in order to give a sharp focus to certain sectors of the economy – projecting Ghana as the most attractive investment destination on the continent.
He said it has also rolled out digital operations on a pilot basis to take advantage of the digital revolution and expand news services, covering a host of users.
The General Manager said in spite of funding challenges, the agency is pleased with the output and responses from subscribers; adding that it is also developing a scheme of services with the assistance of the Public Services Commission to align the human resource needs with corresponding remuneration.
“This is critical, as management seeks to invest more in the training of staff to take on bigger projects. Staff retention will be key to achieving the Agency’s goals. We hope that the new board will assist management to engage stakeholders for a review of our employees’ salaries,” he said.
The NMC on March 2, 2022 announced the appointment of members of boards for state-owned media houses: including the GNA, Graphic Communications Company Limited, New Times Corporation and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.
This is in accordance with Article 168 of the Constitution and section 2(1) (e) of the National Media Commission Act, 1993 (Act 449).
