The Parliamentary Select Committee on Information and Communication has concluded a two-week familiarisation tour of key state institutions under its oversight, with the Committee’s Chairperson, Abed Bandim, revealing a disturbing level of neglect and operational failure. The tour, which followed an earlier workshop where agencies reported significant challenges, was intended to empirically monitor and observe their daily operations and verify the reported difficulties.
”I must first applaud the media for making time to take this journey with us,” began Abed Bandim in a post-tour interview. “We started about two weeks ago, and as you are aware, we have parliamentary oversight over two ministries, the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation.”
The Committee’s findings within the agencies under the Ministry of Information, specifically the Information Service Department (ISD), the Ghana News Agency (GNA), and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC)were described as “very practical challenges” that were immediately visible. “We saw with our own eyes that they were operating under very, very difficult conditions,” the chairman reported. “Some of them didn’t even have offices to sit.”
At the ISD, the Committee found staff operating without electricity in parts of the office due to a reported electrical fault. More disturbingly, the tour revealed the nation’s archives, some predating independence, housed in the ISD’s visuals unit, were not being adequately preserved for the future. “I thought that was very disturbing,” he stated.
The Committee also observed cables “hanging on staff heads” and generally deplorable working conditions. The Committee Chair reflected that it was ” very challenging and disheartening to see that today an information department that should be leading the way in this technological era are themselves facing these kind of challenges as if we’ve not had leadership in those organizations in the past 8–15 years.”
The Ghana News Agency (GNA), which is currently co-located with the ISD, faces similar operational hurdles. A critical problem is the lack of reliable transport, Abed Bandim observed vehicles given to the agency in 2007 that had since broken down and not been replaced or maintained. “This is Accra, the head office. I could imagine what is happening in the various regions and districts,” he said.
The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) is struggling with infrastructure and utility issues. The Committee found that two of GBC’s studios were inoperable due to persistent electricity challenges. Bandim encouraged the corporation to explore solar energy as an alternative, acknowledging the high initial cost, but affirming it as “the way to go.” The Committee plans to appeal directly to the government for assistance to help GBC to operationalise 24-hour studios.
A key issue raised by GBC was the use of its facilities by the National Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) project. The Committee noted that out of the 42 cell sites utilised by the DTT, GBC owns approximately 38. To resolve this debt and dialogue issue, the Committee has resolved to meet with the Minister for Information at the Presidency, Felix Ofosu Kwakye and the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George.
The goal is to facilitate a meeting between the two state institutions to ensure they “sit and have a dialogue to see how they can meet each other halfway and pay where they have to pay so that the other will not be disadvantaged.”
When asked about potential solutions to the agencies’ operational challenges, the Chairperson stated, “All of this is centered around regulation.” He emphasised that the information and communication industry evolves quickly, necessitating a corresponding rapid adjustment in its legal framework. “Some of the challenges that are being faced by these agencies can be resolved with regulation.”
The Push for Regulatory Review
Abed Bandim expressed optimism that the two overseeing ministers, Felix Kwakye and Sam George are actively working to address this issue.
”I’m happy that the two ministers are working to review their laws,” he confirmed. The Committee Chair pointed out that the current laws governing these agencies are in many cases 15 to 20 years old and are no longer fit for purpose.
”The ministers have taken it upon themselves, knowing very well that without the regulation, they cannot function effectively,” Bandim said. The legislative review is therefore seen as the crucial step toward creating a better, enhanced, effective, and efficient sector.
The process is already underway, with new legislation expected to reach Parliament shortly. “When we resume on the 14th of October, some of them will be laid before the House,” he announced.
The Committee is set to be briefed by the ministers on the various legislative proposals to ensure members understand and can be able to contribute effectively when the bills are formally presented for debate and passage.
The Committee’s tour also encompassed several other key institutions, including the National Communications Authority (NCA), the Ghana Domain Name Registry (GDNR), the National Information Technology (NITA), the Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Authority (PCSR A), and the Data Protection Commission (DPC), among others.
