Accra, May 18, GNA - Mr Samuel Okudjeto-Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Information, on Monday assured the Management of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) of the Government's preparedness to assist the Agency to face its challenges.

He said they had acquainted themselves with the challenges that GNA faced through reading the handing over notes from their predecessors and their minds were already agitated as to how best to assist the Agency. Mr Okudjeto-Ablakwa said this when he and his colleague, Mr James Agyenim-Boateng, paid an official visit to the GNA to familiarize themselves with the operations of the Agency.

He said GNA was a very important asset in the nation's forward march and that Ghana could not afford to lose it.

The Deputy Minister acknowledged that where private/public cum commercial media organizations would not go, GNA was always represented to bring out the problems and success stories to Ghanaians. "GNA is that establishment that seeks to be visible in every corner of the country without which most important information would not have been brought to Government's attention," he said and cited the example of the news on the first outbreak of Buruli ulcer in Ghana. Mr Okudjeto-Ablakwa said the Government did not intend to privatise the Agency because of the strategic role it played during certain critical moments in the nations history, adding that it was very refreshing when the Agency got Former President John Agyekum Kufuor to assure the nation that he was ready to hand over power to whoever won Election 2008.

Mr Agyenim-Boateng, who was once a trainee reporter of the Agency, recalled his old days at the GNA, saying; "it was heart breaking to come back to the Agency after 13 years to see it deteriorated to this extent".

He said during their time with the Agency, computers were more than the number reporters and that was when some of them could afford to play games and use the time to polish their typing skills. "It is very sad to hear that those computers are broken down and reporters have to queue to file their stories," he said, and stressed on the need to revamp the Newsroom, which once doubled as training grounds for renowned reporters.

"We do need the GNA now than ever. We would do everything possible to ensure that the Agency stands back on its feet," he said. Earlier in a welcoming address, Nana Appau Duah, General Manager of GNA, said the Agency was the first to be established in Sub-Saharan Africa on March 5, 1957 to contribute to the political and socio-economic development of Ghana.

He said GNA did this through the gathering, processing and disseminating of high quality news and information throughout the country.

Mr Duah said to date the Agency had enhanced media pluralism by making its services available to more than 100 media houses and other subscribers.

He said the Agency has entered into news exchange programme on batter basis with Xinhua (Chinese News Agency); United Press International (UPI); Press Trust of India (PTI) and YONHAP News Agency of South Korea.

He announced plans to expand the Business Department to other regions to enhance the revenue generating capacity of the Agency. Mr Duah mentioned low salaries, lack of logistics, infrastructure and full-time drivers, and finance as the greatest worries of the Agency.

He said the Former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, during one of his visit to the Agency promised to refurbish the Newsroom and the Reception and called on the Ministry of Information to consider carrying out the project. Mr Boakye-Dankwa Boadi, Supervising Chief Editor of GNA, said due to poor remuneration and condition of service there was high attrition rate among the middle level manpower, especially among journalists within the ranks of Chief Reporters and Editors.

"When you go to the Newsroom right now you would realize that many senior reporters have left and this is affecting the quality of our stories," he said, and called on the Ministry to intervene and do something about the salary levels.

Mr Theophilus Mawusi Afele, News Editor, also added his voice to the stressful condition under which reporters worked in the Newsroom and called for quicker intervention to restore morale among them.