By: Savannah Pokuaah Duah
The Parliamentary select committee on Information and Communications paid a courtesy call to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) on Friday, September 12, 2025, as part of their parliamentary visitation tool to engage with ministries, agencies, and departments.
Speaking at the Broadcasting House, Director-General of GBC, Professor Amin Alhassan welcomed the Committee, highlighting GBC’s 90th anniversary celebrations and introducing his management team.
“It is my pleasure and delight to welcome you to Broadcasting House,We’re very delighted to see that you are not here to see whether we are intelligently telling the truth or not,” Professor Alhassan said.
Professor Alhassan outlined two key issues GBC wants parliamentary support on: benefits from the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) plan assets owned by GBC, and compensation for use of GBC’s masks in the upcoming 5G rollout.
“The national DTT plan is sitting on the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation assets, and as landlords, we should be benefiting from that,” he emphasized.
“When I came into office and I looked at the DTT, my assessment is that we could have made between 5 to 7 million US dollars annually for charges of using our masks. We are getting zero” Professor Amin Alhassan added.
The Committee expressed interest in GBC’s financial sustainability, with the Chairman of the Comittee, Abed-Nego Bandim Lamangin, commenting on the critical nature of the issues raised, involving revenue and interactions with Ministries like the Ministry of Communication and Digital Technology and the Ministry responsible for Information.
The Committee Chairman, Abed-Nego Bandim Lamangin referenced previous discussions on commercialization models for GBC’s operations and queried monetization strategies.
Professor Alhassan responded that GBC’s board is developing a new strategic plan considering commercialization of certain units like Lifestyle TV (LSTV), Garden City TV, and a sports channel, seeking to operate them privately with 100% GBC ownership. “Our wish is that these channels… should completely roll out as private sector operators,” he said.
Regarding legislative updates, Professor Alhassan noted that a Board subcommittee is reviewing GBC’s 1968 law with engagement from the National Media Commission. Chairman of the Committee indicated that, they will seek input from the Minister for Communications on DTT and 5G issues, stressing collaboration for GBC’s benefit. “We will engage him on this particular issue, for the sake of the development of the country,” he remarked.
Members of the Committee commended GBC’s efforts and discussed the next steps to ensure the Corporation’s interests are safeguarded in ongoing discussions around DTT and the 5G rollout. The Committee’s engagement reflected a strong focus on supporting the financial sustainability and operational efficiency of state agencies.
The Committee led by its Chairman, Abed-Nego Bandim Lamangin toured the Information Services Department, Ghana News Agency as well as Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.
