President John Mahama has placed the financial sustainability of Ghana’s public media at the heart of a proposed reform agenda, outlining plans to overhaul funding mechanisms, clear legacy debt and unlock underused assets following a high-profile visit to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
Speaking after receiving a detailed operational briefing from GBC management, Mahama said cabinet discussions on the worsening financial position of state-owned media had prompted him to assess conditions firsthand, starting with the national broadcaster.
Mahama acknowledged that GBC’s public-interest mandate, including extensive educational programming and multilingual broadcasts targeting farmers and rural communities, limits its ability to generate advertising revenue, leaving it structurally underfunded in a commercialised media market.
“The kind of content you carry is not content that brings advertising and money,” Mahama said, arguing that the funding model for public broadcasting must be redesigned to reflect its social role.
At the core of the proposed changes is a plan to revise the television licensing framework into a broader public media levy with an expanded base. Mahama said the levy would be restructured to mobilise higher and more predictable revenue to subsidise public-interest broadcasting, with stakeholder consultations planned ahead of parliamentary amendments.
“We’re going to change the range of that levy so that it’s better able to mobilise funding,” he said, adding that government aims to improve the overall financial environment in which public media operates.
Mahama also addressed GBC’s balance sheet pressures, directing that the broadcaster’s legacy debt be isolated and settled separately to prevent it from continuing to erode current operations. He said the issue would be elevated to the Chief of Staff to secure funding to clear historical arrears, while management is expected to keep current obligations up to date.
Energy costs were flagged as another financial drag. Mahama welcomed GBC’s move to introduce solar power, saying the investment would reduce electricity bills and free up cash for core broadcasting and maintenance activities.
Beyond direct funding, the president pointed to GBC’s extensive land holdings in Accra as a potential source of capital. According to him, underutilised prime property could be leveraged to finance a transition to a more modern, digital-first public broadcaster without increasing fiscal pressure on the state.
“We sit on prime property in this city,” Mahama said, suggesting asset-backed financing could support long-term sustainability.
Mahama also linked financial reform to governance and legal changes, noting that the ongoing constitutional review includes reassessing provisions affecting public media. Amendments could strengthen the financial and operational independence of state broadcasters, in coordination with the National Media Commission.
While operational reforms, including a review of GBC’s decades-old management structure, remain under consideration, Mahama framed them as secondary to restoring financial stability.
The president said government would continue consultations with GBC and other public media institutions as it finalises proposals aimed at securing long-term funding and modernising the sector.
