Ghana News Agency to go commercial in three years

The Ghana News Agency (GNA), the nation's only newswire service, is to go fully commercial within three years to improve its services to customers and end its dependency on government subvention.

Mr Robert Kafui Johnson, the new General Manager, announced this at a meeting at Sunyani with the Brong Ahafo Regional staff as part of a nation-wide tour of regional offices of the Agency. Mr Johnson said the commercialisation move, which is going to cost about 1.7 million dollars, is going to be full of challenges and it was therefore incumbent on members of staff to brace themselves up for the tasks ahead if the GNA is to achieve its corporate aims.

Mr Johnson said already stakeholders of the Agency have met the consultants for the commercialisation drive and it had been agreed that the GNA, under its new mandate, would constitute itself into a major news and information service provider. Among its core business will be photo services, production of special reports, commercial printing and the establishment of a vibrant and up-to-date news website. Mr Johnson explained that the Agency had the option to remain as it was or become a holding company with television, radio and newspaper production outfits but chose to become a commercial news and information service provider because that was more cost-effective.