On December 4, 2023 the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) under the leadership of Professor Amin Alhassan signed an agreement with China Global Television Network (CGTN), the international division of the Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV). In the agreement, the two prominent state-owned broadcasters are expected to cooperate under the All-Media Service Platform (AMSP) – jointly created by the China Media Group (CMG), a fusion of all Chinese-state holding media organisations, the AMSP launched on February 28, 2022 is a platform designed to enable media outlets and organizations to closely track global issues including climate change.
Available in more than 60 languages including French and Hausa the AMSP is an avenue created for media organizations around the world to display and share their news programs, documentaries, pictures, audio and video programs, feature films and customized services from diverse perspectives – the platform encourages healthy cooperation between experts and journalists in the media space around the globe. For state broadcasting giant, GBC the AMSP which provides users with interactive services in various fields including media activities, technological innovation, business communication and professional training is an invaluable resource that further expands the national broadcaster’s toolkit earmarked to strengthen media cooperation and tell Ghana’s story to the rest of the world.
Through the AMSP, GBC is expected to interact with experts and media professionals at CGTN and other media outlets around the globe, as they jointly seek to inform, entertain and educate the public on important national and international issues. The world today is plagued with myriads of interconnected challenges including rising food prices, escalating corruption and organized crime, climate change, rising poverty and geopolitical instability. To provide lasting solutions to these daunting global challenges requires all hands on deck including media organizations. By disseminating information, raising awareness and fostering public discourse, media organizations both at the national and international level play a crucial role in tackling global challenges. In the case of GBC-CGTN cooperation via the AMSP, the Ghana state broadcaster will have access to important publications on how countries, specifically China have overcome extreme poverty and have grown to become the undisputed global leader in clean energy.
With this additional resource, GBC can access Chinese media publications and disseminate vital lessons from China’s development. Conversely, GBC could also display and share news about Ghana including culture and key fields and industries available for cooperation. Ultimately, this could encourage public discourse in the two countries based on accurate information – promote people-to-people exchanges – further open up new opportunities for cooperation in Ghana and China across various fields and industries. As a global economist with more than one hundred (100) authored publications for China’s leading media organizations including CGTN, China Daily and People’s Daily, the highest by far for a Ghanaian and the African continent, I strongly believe that healthy cooperation between China and the rest of the world unlocks new opportunities for development. This is the reason why I accepted to facilitate the cooperation between GBC and CGTN. In the years ahead, I believe the GBC-CGTN cooperation will contribute to forge new friendships and deepen mutual understanding between Ghana and China – influence public policy, drive innovation and create new growth opportunities across industries and in Ghana.
