By Edward Acquah, GNA
Accra, Aug. 28, GNA – The National Media Commission (NMC) on Friday inaugurated a new eight-member Governing Board of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to provide strategic direction for the national wire service for the next two years.
The Board is chaired by Dr Kwame Akuffo Anoff-Ntow, a former Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
Other members are Mr Albert Kofi Owusu, General Manager of the GNA; Madam Mercy Catherine Adjabeng, a gender and safety specialist; Mr Francis Dadzie Jnr, a Chartered Administrator; and Professor Adwoa Sikayena Amankwah, an Associate Professor of Media and Communications at the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
The others are Dr Moshie-Dayan Ahiamenyo, a Senior Lecturer at the Takoradi Technical University; Mr Vance Azu, a former Night Editor of the Daily Graphic; and Mr Alexander Nii Katey Bannerman, a media administrator.
Professor Akua Opokua Britwum, Chairperson of the NMC, swore the members into office and charged them to reposition the GNA as a competitive and innovative public-interest news agency.
She said the GNA had historically played an important role in promoting national unity and cohesion by providing credible news and ensuring coverage of communities and people who might otherwise not receive media attention.
Prof. Britwum, however, said years of inadequate funding had affected the Agency’s infrastructure, equipment, staffing and ability to retain personnel, resulting in the closure of some district and regional offices.
She commended successive managements and boards for keeping the Agency operational and maintaining its professional standards despite the challenges.
“We note with pride that you still remain a trusted source of news in Ghana,” she said, urging the new Board to use the resources being made available to the Agency to develop innovative content.
Prof. Britwum also urged the GNA to reclaim its Pan-African role by positioning itself as a trusted source of news about Africa from an African perspective.
She said the Agency’s presence across the regions remained critical to its public-service mandate and called for improved conditions of service and stronger industrial relations structures to help restore the GNA to its former position.
Dr Anoff-Ntow, the new Board Chair, said the members recognised the responsibility entrusted to them and would provide strategic oversight and policy direction to the Agency.
He said the Board would seek to transform the GNA into a competitive multimedia entity capable of remaining relevant in a rapidly changing media environment.
“The question that should agitate our minds is: where does Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana News Agency fit?” he asked, referring to the growing influence of social media and the challenges posed by misinformation and disinformation.
Dr Anoff-Ntow said the GNA’s relevance should be anchored in professional and ethical journalism, public-interest reporting and the use of accessible technology to reach communities across the country.
“We would be leaving the media entity better than we found it if we are able to achieve this. So this should be our aim,” he said.
Mr Owusu, General Manager of the GNA, welcomed the new Board and said management and staff looked forward to working with it to build a more modern, innovative and financially sustainable Agency.
He said the GNA had strengthened its editorial capacity, invested in digital and multimedia journalism, and begun rehabilitating its offices and retooling its operations.
Mr Owusu said support from the African Development Bank was helping the Agency to improve its infrastructure, equipment and operational capacity.
Nana Sifa Twum, immediate past Board Chair, said the outgoing Board had laid a solid foundation for the new team, including securing resources for the rehabilitation of GNA offices and improving the Agency’s financial position.
He urged the new Board to continue efforts to establish a GNA museum to preserve obsolete equipment previously used to transmit news across the country.
The GNA, established in 1957, is Ghana’s national wire service and provides news reports, photographs and other multimedia content to media organisations and institutions in Ghana and beyond.
It serves as a major source of news for newspapers, radio, television and digital platforms, covering national and international affairs, including politics, business, health, science, agriculture, environment, sports and other areas of public interest.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Edward Acquah
[email protected]
