GNA Seals Pact With National Theatre

Accra, Dec. 18, – The Ghana News Agency (GNA), the nation’s foremost wire services on Tuesday entered into Entertainment Communication Promotional Partnership with the National Theatre of Ghana.

The partnership seeks to leverage on the media powers of the Agency to project the art industry, equipped media practitioners of the necessary professional skills to report on the entertainment sector as well as attract consistent reportage of the activities of the National Theatre.

The GNA would also assist the National Theatre project its image both locally and internationally, assist the Theatre’s Public Affairs Department, project the activities of the resident groups at the Theatre.

Nana Fredua-Agyemang Ofori Atta, Board Chairman of the National Theatre, led a delegation including Madam Amy Appiah Frimpong, Executive Director, and Mr Ako Tetteh, Public Relations Officer to meet GNA Management headed by Mr Albert Kofi Owusu, the General Manager.

Nana Ofori Atta noted the need to move forward the concept, structure and the law setting up the theatre over the past 25 years, stressing that “culture in Ghana is under threat, and the National Theatre Act empowers them to develop culture through performing arts and they would not leave any stone unturned…we therefore need the support of the GNA”.

He also solicited the support of the GNA to project a search embarked on by the Theatre for a new logo, explaining that, “We have launched a Logo Competition targeting the youth 35 years and below to design a new insignia to reflect our drive capturing our cultural identity”.

Mr Kofi Owusu, commended the Board and Management of the National Theatre for the initiative to revamp the image of the art industry in Ghana, stressing that, “GNA is developing new relationship with strategic state agencies, civil society organisations and corporate world.

“We as main state actor in the media landscape, we need to redefine our news gathering, processing and dissemination to meet the growing Information, Communication and Technological challenges”.

The GNA General Manager explained that Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, set up the Agency on the eve of Ghana Independence to serve as a vanguard to correct the misrepresentation of Ghana and African on the international platform.

“That mandate is still relevant today as we are confronted with distortions of facts daily on social media, GNA needs to play the adjutant role to set the facts right, we must serve as a reliable reference point to both local and international community”.

He said established in 1957 as the first news agency in Sub-Saharan Africa, GNA contributed to African and Ghanaian emancipation, “today we must lead in the ICT emancipation”.

Mr Kofi Owusu said “Ghana's first President, Dr. Nkrumah, regarded GNA as a counter-weight to biased reporting by international news agencies, “we are now revamping once more to play the vital role to help build a viable, cohesive nation-state”.

The GNA General Manager said the Agency would continue to provide high quality, commercially sustainable service to contribute to Ghana's overall development.

He said “GNA’s existing strengths as a news media with reputation of excellence and an image as the preeminent institution operating in the news and information sphere is ready to support national transformation agenda”.

The National Theatre built by the Chinese, was opened in 1992 and offered as a gift to Ghana.

The National Theatre has a complicated construction moulding and novel exterior features, from a distance, the whole structure looks like a gigantic ship or a seagull spreading its wings.