By Jennifer Frimpong Wiredu and Philip Agbodza
Former Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Professor Kwame Karikari says it will not be in the nation’s interest for any government to contemplate diversifying GBC for any gain.
He said the public service broadcaster still has a lot to offer and can be viable when it is well funded. He further stated that any such idea should never be contemplated by political actors.
He was speaking at GBC’s 2024 Stakeholders Conference in Accra under the theme: Sustainability of Public Service Broadcasting in a New Media Ecosystem.
Professor Kwame Karikari said GBC is faced with the big challenge of maintaining its relevance in the face of the multiplicity of private media houses.
He further stated that the situation is worsened by the political transitions as a result of the democratic system of the country. Prof. Karikari noted that the main solution for GBC’s relevance and elevation is for the government to keep its hands off the idea of privatising the Corporation.
He made recommendations to revamp the fortunes of GBC without diversifying it.
These include working out a public finance scheme to run the corporation, concentrating on improving GBC’s technological abilities, and the need for political parties to outline clear-cut policy guidelines for the Corporation.
Professor Karikari called for the quick passage of the broadcasting bill to protect entities like GBC.
