The problems confronting state broadcaster Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) cannot be solved with a magic wand, CEO of the State Enterprises Commission (SEC), Dr Clement Kaminta has said.
“For almost four years now GBC has not received their budget allocation, the board, as far as I know, appreciates, absolutely the problems that GBC is confronted with. The issue is that the problems haven’t just cropped up, these are problems that have been there over a long period of time and it is not an issue that you wave a magic wand and it is resolved. It is an issue that has to be dealt with through a very gradual process. Now the bottom line as I said is funding,” Dr Kaminta told Prince Minkah on the Executive Breakfast Show on Class91.3FM in an interview.
GBC workers recently picketed at the premises of the state broadcaster to pile pressure on the National Media Commission (NMC) to permanently dissolve the current board over allegations of mismanagement.
Most of the workers gathered at the entrance of the corporation at Kanda in Accra to protest against the Board’s continued stay in office.
Clad in red arm bands, the workers vowed to continue their protests until their concerns were addressed. Chairman of the GBC Divisional Workers Union, Michael Allotey, later addressed a news conference and stated that the state of affairs at the nation’s premier broadcasting house had degenerated. “Things have gone bad under the watch of this board, which is not interested in our core work of news gathering, production, dissemination of public information, entertainment, education, and social mobilisation,” he stressed.
He underscored the need for an audit and scrutiny of the corporation’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF) since the board was inaugurated. “We strongly ask the NMC to direct this board to give the whole world a full disclosure of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2015 AFCON contract and proceeds vis-à-vis expenditure.”
According to Dr Kaminta, when the issue first came up, “they [workers] went to the National Media Commission (NMC), quite appropriately. The NMC asked them to submit their petition in writing, which they did. The NMC is currently dealing with it. Now the issue as we speak is even at the level of the Ministry of communication, which is the responsible ministry for GBC. Now, as far as I am concerned, in a case where you have issues, there needs to be a dialogue, talk up to a level, but the point is ‘where do you find the money?’ The bottom line is funding,” he emphasised.
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