By: Belinda Nketia
The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has called for a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Energy to enhance public communication on critical energy policies and projects, citing its constitutional mandate as a state-owned media institution.
This came during a high-level meeting between the leadership of GBC, led by Director-General Prof. Amin Alhassan, and the Ministry on Wednesday July 3 2025 at the ministry of energy.
The Director of Marketing, Mr. George Lomotey, Director of Human Resource, Mr. John Korasare, Head of Sales and the GBC digital platforms team, Mrs. Millicent Arthur, were part of the delegation that went with the GBC’s Director General.
Prof. Alhassan expressed appreciation to the Ministry for the opportunity to engage with the ministry. He highlighted that GBC, through its nationwide network of 89 radio stations and seven TV channels, is well-positioned to help the government better disseminate information on national policies especially in the energy and green transition sectors.
“We’ve observed that recent energy policies, including the one cedi per litre policy and developments in electricity production, lack a comprehensive communication strategy. As a state media house, we believe our capacity can be leveraged to soften complex policies and make them accessible to the public,” Prof. Amin said.
He also announced that GBC has launched a dedicated channel for Parliamentary programming, bringing the total number of stations under its control to six, with the seventh now to be managed by the Parliament of Ghana.
“This gives us flexibility to shape public narratives around national development,” he added.
Deputy Minister of Energy, Richard Gyan-Mensah, who received the GBC team, outlined the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to expand electricity access from the current 89% to 90% by year-end, particularly targeting remote island communities with mini-grids and solar energy solutions.
He explained that the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, was unable to attend the meeting because he had to be present in Parliament, where the Prime Minister of India was expected. As both he and the minister are Members of Parliament, one of them had to remain in the ministry, and it was agreed that he would do so.
The Deputy Minister revealed that 35 new mini-grids are being planned for 125 communities, alongside work to improve electricity transmission and resilience. He acknowledged ECG’s operational inefficiencies and said boosting their performance remains key to solving 70–80% of sector-wide challenges.
In the petroleum sector, the Ministry is focused on reviving investor interest in offshore and newly confirmed onshore oil reserves. Adomako-Mensah disclosed that companies like Kosmos Energy have signed MOUs to expand their operations and that government is reviewing fiscal policies to make Ghana more attractive to oil investors.
Regarding renewables, the Ministry is aggressively pursuing solar, wind, hydro, and waste-to-energy projects. A new EV charging station was recently commissioned, with plans to scale up infrastructure to support electric mobility.
The Deputy Minister stressed, however, that Ghana will continue to responsibly exploit hydrocarbons due to their broader economic value, including applications in fertilizer and petrochemicals.
The conversation also addressed the long-standing ECG legacy debt attributed to GBC. Prof. Amin clarified that much of the debt which is estimated between GHS 70 to 80 million resulted from co-location arrangements with state security agencies, including military units, who used power under GBC’s metered accounts without reimbursement.
“We don’t contest the presence of these agencies, but their consumption shouldn’t be charged to GBC. This legacy debt is a national issue,” he said.
He also added that he had requested a formal conversation with the government to distinguish historic liabilities from GBC’s current bills, which the corporation is ready to pay.
The Director General further disclosed that ECG recently demanded GHS 1 million from its Accra operations and over GHS 100,000 from Kumasi, leading to the latter being disconnected for over a week. Prof. Amin appealed for broader engagement with the Energy Ministry, Ministry of Finance, and ECG leadership to find a resolution.
The Deputy Minister welcomed the proposed media collaboration and directed the Ministry’s communications team to engage GBC more deliberately. “The Ministry is doing a lot, but the world must know. And GBC presents that platform,” he stated.
The Deputy Minister also acknowledged the need for broader government support to ensure GBC remains sustainable and fully functional. He concluded by pledging the Ministry’s cooperation wherever possible.
