Professor Amin Alhassan, Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), has refuted claims made by Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif that the national broadcaster received over $3 million for covering the 2023 African Games.
This clarification followed the minister’s statement during a Public Accounts Committee session on Monday, August 19, 2024, where he asserted that the government had paid GBC more than $3 million as the official broadcaster of the Games.
“Yes, GBC was the official broadcaster for the 13th All African Games, and I can confirm that full payment has been made to GBC. I can’t recall the exact amount, but I know it exceeds $3 million,” Ussif said.
Prof. Alhassan stated that GBC only received $105,000 for its coverage of the Games, which took place between February and March 2024.
He clarified that the funds were used to offset costs incurred from suspending some of GBC’s regular programming during the event.
“I want to assure the public that GBC’s total benefit from the African Games was $105,000,” Prof. Alhassan said on Uniq FM.
“No additional funds were paid to GBC, and this payment was made to support the fact that we dedicated an entire channel 24 hours a day, suspending normal programming on GTV Sports Plus to focus entirely on the African Games as the official broadcaster.”
He further explained that GBC was only brought into discussions about the Games about a month before they began.
The discrepancy in the reported figures has sparked controversy, with many Ghanaians expressing concern on social media.
The 13th African Games, held from March 8–23, 2024, took place in Ghana across various venues, including Borteyman, the University of Ghana, Accra Sports Stadium, Achimota Golf Park, National Hockey Pitch, and Achimota Cricket Park.
Ghana finished 6th out of 53 participating countries on the medal table, winning a total of 69 medals, including 19 gold marking a record achievement for the country since the Games’ inception.
Ghana | Atinkanline.com | Vivian Adu