President Akufo-Addo has directed the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah to as a matter of urgency facilitate the payment of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation’s (GBC) debt owed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The President made this remark after the leadership of the National Media Commission (NMC) paid a courtesy call on him at the Flagstaff house.
In the meeting, Chairman of the NMC, Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo indicated that GBC owed ECG GHc25 million, a situation that is crippling their operation.
“One of the things that affects the GBC is the question of electricity bill because of the numerous stations that it has across the country. They play strategic roles… We therefore thought we should bring it before you so we can collectivelly look at what we can do about this.”
President Akufo-Addo in response to the concern indicated that given that the state broadcaster’s function, a permanent solution is needed to resolve the matter.
“Mr. minister, these [GHc25 million debt of electricity bills]are all matters that you have to look at… And the sooner we can settle them in a satisfactory way so that they can do their work, the better for the growth of our country and its democracy,” he said.
GBC in Ashanti Region disconnected by ECG over GH₵1.7m debt
Two years ago, GBC’s Garden City Radio in the Ashanti Region was taken off air after ECG disconnected the facility from the national grid, leaving management with no option than to run on a standby plant.
The GBC was said to owe the power company about GHc 1.75 million.
In his bid to salvage the situation, the then Information Minister Mustapha Hamid wrote to the Minister of Energy to “use your good offices to get ECG to stop these disconnections”.
This, however, did not prevent the disconnection at the facility.