GBC Gets New Board Of Directors

A new board of directors for the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) was inaugurated in Accra yesterday.

The nine-member board,which will serve a two year term, is chaired by the Paramount Chief of the Esikado Traditional Area, in the Western Region,Nana Kobina Nketsia V, who is also an anthropologist.

Speaking at the inauguration, the chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr Wilson Kusi-Atansah, said the board had the arduous task of ensuring the continuing “effectiveness and profitability of GBC”.

He said GBC, over the years, had been plagued with serious management-staff challenges that had had a negative effect on morale and labour turnover.

“The board has the responsibility to fashion out and ensure the implementation of policies that would restore unanimity of purpose and professionalism among the staff of GBC,” he said.Mr Kusi-Atansah said there was a worrying perception that the management of GBC was fragmented and observed that some management personnel were in acting positions, thus, making them unable to assert themselves where it mattered most.

He expressed worry about the loss of several sponsored programmes by GBC to its competitors, arguing that it amounted to loss of revenue by the corporation. “One cannot understand why GBC is losing out to its competitors when one considers the expertise, wide network and experience available to it. The professional journalistic, management and business systems need to be looked at seriously,” he said.

The Minister of Information, Nana Akomea, said a lot was expected from the new board and called for the restoration based on consultation between the NMC and the board.

He said although the board needed not consult the NMC on a daily basis, there was the need for consultation to ensure that there was no rigidity in the relationship between the two organisations.

On his part, Nana Nketsia V gave the assurance that although the task ahead was an arduous one, the board was going to work very hard to make a positive impact on to the media.He said the immediate task of the board was to ensure that GBC operated fairly in the run up to the elections to avoid any attacks and to contribute towards peaceful elections.

Other members of the Board are; Mrs Margaret Amoakohene, Lecturer, School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Mrs Stella Amegashie, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Mr Ben Batabe Asserow, Communication Director, Catholic Secretariat, Ms Georgette Francois, Legal Practitioner, Mr A. T. D. Okine, General Secretary, Public Services Workers Union, Mrs Vicky Achaa Wireko Ando, Journalist &Corporate Public Relations Manager, UNILEVER, Mr K. D. Frimpong, Chartered Engineer, and Ms Eva Lokko, Director General, GBC.