GTV must be well resourced; they have better, educative programmes — Afenyo-Markin

Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader in Parliament, has urged the government to provide the state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) additional funding, emphasizing the vital role it plays in public education and national development.

The Effutu MP stressed the significance of bolstering GTV, GBC's premier channel, during his remarks on the floor of Parliament on Friday, February 21, in order to guarantee that it keeps providing Ghanaians with high-quality and comprehensive material.

“Mr. Speaker, we all know that GBC is the nation’s number one media house. Every support needs to be given to GTV. I have been watching GTV, and they are one station that is able to reach the remote parts of our country. They need support,” he stressed.

Afenyo-Markin stated that, despite GTV's broad reach and educational programming, the station lacks appropriate resources, limiting its capacity to effectively serve its mandate.

He urged the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, to brief Parliament on plans to increase GBC capacity.

“I would again want the Leader of Government Business to program the Minister of Communication and Digitalization to come to this House to brief us on steps that the ministry is taking to resource GBC,” he said.

The lawmaker further praised GTV's programming, particularly its Breakfast Show in the morning, calling it extremely educational and helpful to the general population.

“They have very nice programmes, especially their Breakfast Show, very educative. And if GBC does not get the support, they are likely to collapse. We don’t want that to happen,” he cautioned.

Afenyo-Markin’s appeal concerns over what they describe as the sidelining of state-owned GTV in favour of the pro-NDC media outlet, Woezor TV.

People argue that the exclusive rights to cover events at the Presidency, originally granted to GTV, are gradually being taken away.