GH¢78million allocated to my office woefully inadequate – Felix Kwakye Ofosu

Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has raised concerns over the insufficient budget allocation to his ministry, warning that the GH¢78 million earmarked for 2025 is far from enough to support the operations of key agencies under his jurisdiction.

Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, March 19, Kwakye Ofosu emphasized the financial struggles faced by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the Information Services Department (ISD), and the Ghana News Agency (GNA). He stressed that these institutions are critical to government communication, public information dissemination, and media credibility, yet they remain underfunded.

The minister expressed frustration over the severe funding shortfall, cautioning that it could cripple the ability of these agencies to function effectively. He pointed out that the three organizations collectively employ 2,537 civil servants, all of whom rely on the budgetary allocation to carry out their duties.

“There are three agencies that I superintend, namely the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the Information Service Department and the Ghana News Agency. These three agencies alone have 2,537 civil servants and it is these civil servants who have been allocated GH¢78 million in both goods and services,” he stated.

Kwakye Ofosu singled out the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as one of the hardest-hit institutions, revealing that the state broadcaster has been tasked with expanding its coverage to the six newly created regions, yet has received inadequate funding to execute this mandate.

“Mr. Speaker, it is woefully inadequate for them because the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation alone needs GH¢36 million to establish a presence in the six regions that they [the previous administration] created,” he lamented.

The minister called for urgent reconsideration of the budgetary allocation, warning that without adequate funding, these agencies will struggle to fulfill their mandate, ultimately affecting government communication efforts and public access to credible information.