By: Joycelyn Tseyiboe Ama
Former Chairman of the National Media Commission, Mr. Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, has defended the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation over its inability to broadcast the Black Stars’ World Cup qualifying match on October 12, 2025, insisting that the state, not GBC, should be blamed for the disappointment. He attributed the failure to unfulfilled government promises and funding constraints tied to GBC’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF).
“I never criticized GBC’s failure. I was disappointed like every Ghanaian, but it was not GBC’s fault. The state failed to make provision for Ghanaians to watch the match”; he clarified.
He noted that although GBC had its production team, analysts, and crew at the stadium, the broadcaster could not show the game because it had not secured the rights to telecast it live, in line with FIFA regulations. “GBC was producing the content for the world feed, but it could not lower its cameras to show the players. It’s not about incompetence it’s about the law,” he said.
“GBC alone or even in partnership with other private stations cannot afford the cost of broadcast rights “he said. He revealed that in previous years, a consortium of media houses and the government worked together to acquire such rights, with the state leading negotiations and corporate entities contributing through sponsorships and tax incentives.
“If the payment for rights were cheap, private stations would have bought them. But they know the cost will exceed their returns,” he said, arguing that the government must take responsibility for financing the broadcasting rights to major national events such as the World Cup.
Mr. Ayeboafoh proposed a two-step solution ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Government should budget and commit funds specifically for the live transmission of matches and also GBC and private broadcasters should form a consortium, ceding an agreed percentage of their advertising revenue back to the state or GBC to sustain future broadcasts.
He also urged the public to support the collection of TV license fees, emphasizing that “the more we can generate from the TV license, the less the state will have to add from the consolidated fund.”
“The IGF is a key component of the budget. Whatever GBC generates is taken by the state before it is allocated back to you. So those asking what happens to the IGF must understand it is already part of the national budget,” he stated.
Mr. Ayeboafoh concluded by urging government and the media to work together to prevent future embarrassment and ensure that Ghanaians are not denied access to national matches.“When we invest in broadcasting the World Cup, the reward is not just financial , it is the unity and joy of every Ghanaian who gets to share in that national experience,” he said.
