‘I was given less than GHC20K after 32 years at GBC’ – Amankwah Ampofo

 A retired news anchor, Charles Ampofo, has revealed he took home less than GHc 20,000 as service benefit after he served for 32 years in the state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).

“Calculating the money I was given, it wasn’t up to Two Hundred Million (GHS20,000),” the broadcaster, popularly known as Amankwah Ampofo, said on Accra-based TV XYZ.

According to him, one can only take home huge sums of money after a long service if the individual attained a senior position.

Unfortunately for Mr. Ampofo, he was unable to reach the senior grade due to what he said was an act of sabotage.

“You have to reach the senior grade before you get a whopping sum of money. Unfortunately, my bosses were not kind to me, so, I couldn’t get to that level.”

He said he remained in the same position for eight years without being promoted.

“But I was enjoying the work. I didn’t talk,” the former GBC news anchor said.

The 67-year-old retired broadcaster mentioned his former bosses as the reason behind his lack of promotion.

“There was a conflict when they removed Eva Lokko from office. When she was axed, Hon Dan Botwe was the sector minister. He called and asked me, ‘You’re senior at the office, who do you think should be the next after Eva Lokko? I said I know of Annan”.

Mr. Ampofo added “he (Annan) was at Cape Coast. He was the oldest [staff] I told Dan. I beg the man is a part-time lecturer at the University. So, bringing him from Cape Coast won’t be a good idea”.

He further said he was then asked, “Who’s the next Director of TV or Director of Radio?”

“I apprised him I traveled with the Director of Radio to Cuba and he’s friendly, therefore if he likes he should consider appointing him”.

The following morning they announced the Director of Radio as the Acting General Director.

“The Director of Radio remained in his position wanting to be confirmed the General Director but that didn’t happen. Later he blamed me for sabotaging him. You see?”

He doesn’t know I recommended him. He never signed my promotional documents. He discarded the idea,” he recalled.

Amankwah Ampofo, however, advised the youth, especially those in the public sector to look for other streams of income and not solely rely on retirement benefits as they may end up disappointing them.

“I will base on this to advise the youth that when you work in a State-Owned Enterprise (SEO), from the beginning in your youthful days, be focused on something when you leave office you’ll depend on it because if you rely on the government pension benefits that after your service you will reap bountifully. It’s not wholly true. It’s an assumption.”

He also expressed regrets for not leaving GBC for other opportunities that were available to him.

“What pained me, it doesn’t really pain me, is that I stayed loyal during the emergence of TV and radio stations [while] I was a hotcake.”

In his heydays, Amankwa Ampofo was also a member of the popular Obra Drama Group with respected actors and actresses, including Grace Omaboe, popularly known as  Maame Dorkono and Dr Rokoto.