The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has hailed the submission of the final report of the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Committee as a historic breakthrough, saying it ends a decade-long search for a sustainable framework to secure Ghana’s digital broadcasting infrastructure.
Speaking at the ceremony to receive the committee’s final report, the Director-General of GBC, Prof. Amin Alhassan, said the milestone was made possible through the leadership of the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon. Samuel Nartey George, and offers renewed hope for the future of the country’s digital television platform.
“It is our pleasure to acknowledge that, thanks to your leadership, we are here today,” Prof. Alhassan said.
“The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation has waited 10 years for today’s event, and we are excited because this gives us the assurance that there is a way to provide a sustainable path in maintaining the national DTT.”
He described the occasion as a defining moment for Ghana’s broadcasting industry, stressing that stakeholders had finally reached the point where long-standing challenges surrounding the management and sustainability of the digital terrestrial television platform could be addressed.
According to him, the process has created an opportunity for stakeholders to confront the realities affecting the platform and collectively chart a sustainable way forward.
“It is important that we get to this moment of truth, acknowledge it and find a way to deal with it,” he stated.
Prof. Alhassan expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations for creating an inclusive platform that allowed key industry players to contribute to the committee’s work.
He said GBC was proud to have participated in the process and remained committed to supporting efforts aimed at strengthening Ghana’s digital broadcasting ecosystem.
“We are very delighted to contribute to the process, and we are also delighted to be part of the signing ceremony,” he added.
President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Abdullai Awudu, also described the submission of the report as an important milestone, saying the broadcasting industry had endured nearly a decade of uncertainty over the future of the DTT platform.
He credited the minister for providing the leadership that transformed years of disagreements into constructive engagement and consensus-building.
According to him, the minister demonstrated from the outset that he was determined to find practical solutions by bringing stakeholders together, setting clear terms of reference and establishing firm timelines for the committee’s work.
“When you put us together and called for the stakeholder meeting, it showed straight away that this was a leader who was looking for solutions,” Mr Awudu said.
He noted that although the DTT Committee officially worked from March to July this year, the journey to resolve the platform’s challenges had spanned almost ten years.
Mr Awudu said the completion of the report marks the beginning of efforts to safeguard the transmission infrastructure that supports television broadcasting across the country.
“We have started on a journey that will protect the infrastructure that holds the very foundation of our business. Without transmission infrastructure, our business cannot exist,” he stated.
He also thanked the government for recognising the strategic role of the media and expressed optimism that the implementation of the committee’s recommendations would strengthen Ghana’s broadcasting sector.
The DTT Committee’s report is expected to guide government decisions on reforms to the governance, financing and long-term sustainability of Ghana’s digital terrestrial television platform, with the ministry set to review the recommendations before issuing a policy response.
