The Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has raised serious concerns over what he describes as an inadequate budgetary allocation to his office.
According to him, the GH¢78 million allocated for the year is far from sufficient to meet the operational demands of the three key agencies under his jurisdiction.
Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, March 19, Kwakye Ofosu highlighted the urgent financial needs of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the Information Services Department (ISD), and the Ghana News Agency (GNA). He emphasized that these institutions are vital for government communication, public information dissemination, and maintaining media integrity.
However, he warned that the current funding levels would significantly hinder their ability to operate effectively.
The minister further outlined the financial strain on these agencies, pointing out that they collectively employ 2,537 civil servants who depend on the budget to perform their duties.
He went on to highlight the urgent financial demands of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), which has been tasked with expanding its services to cover the six newly created regions.
“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.
“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.”
