News
Withdraw request for GBC to abandon 3 channels on DTT platform – GJA
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) yesterday called for the immediate withdrawal of the directive, requesting the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to abandon three of its six channels on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DDT) platform.
In a statement issued by the association in Accra on Monday, July 20 and signed by the president of GJA, Mr Roland Affail Monney, it said that, the directive contravenes constitutional provisions and would endanger the activities of the station.
“It is the view of the GJA that the directive will significantly impact on the operations of the GBC and amount to interference by government in the work of the state owned media,” the statement said.
“This is against the provisions of Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution,” it added.
The directive by the Communications Minister has the potential of curtailing the operations of media houses, particularly a state owned media, which the constitution has specifically asked to be insulated from governmental control by a constitutional body.
The mother body for journalists in the country, GJA has therefore, demanded that the directive by the Ministry of Communications to GBC and other media houses on their channels on the DTT platform be brought to a halt with immediate effect.
Accordingly, the GJA has called on the National Media Commission (NMC) and all relevant stakeholders to ensure all concerns over the DDT platform be ironed out.
Meanwhile, the GJA has also urged for a long term solution to this and any other issues confronting the highly sensitive media industry is for Ghana to attach utmost urgency to the enactment of a broadcasting law.
In the manner, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has also raised concern over the same directive by the Minister of Communications, and called on President Akufo-Addo to revoke the order should the sector minster fail to do so.
In a press release by the foundation copied to the Ghanaian Times, the foundation mentioned that, instruction by the minister contravenes constitutional and regulatory provisions on the autonomy of the state broadcaster and also undermines media pluralism.
“The foundation also stated that, the directive was counterproductive, as the president has relied on the GBC channels in delivering his periodic updates on the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement said.
The foundation has since called on the regulator of the Ghanaian media landscape, the NMC to expedite efforts in ensuring that, the state broadcaster is insulated from any form of control.
“We also call on the NMC to assert its constitutional responsibility of insulating the state broadcaster from governmental interference and control,” the statement mentioned.
The Communications Minister, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful in a letter dated June 26, 2020, addressed to the Director General, Professor Amin Alhassan, asked the state broadcaster to reduce its six digital channels to three.
BY TIMES REPORTER
Ahyiresu and Abofrem, two quiet communities in the Atwima Mponua District, have been shaken to the core by a chilling midnight drama that reads like a nightmare.
A pastor and a young mother stand accused of attempting to bury a five‑month‑old baby girl alive, a crime that has ignited outrage and disbelief across the township.
According to police, Apostle Richmond Akwasi Frimpong, 36, Head Pastor of the Anointed Grace Prayer Ministry at Kuffour Camp, conspired with his uncle Emmanuel Appiah, 53, and the child’s mother, 23‑year‑old Beatrice Agyapomaa, to dispose of the infant, Anaya Achiaa, under the cover of darkness.
A fourth suspect, Emmanuel Donkor, remains on the run.
The suspects were caught near a refuse dump around 10 pm on April 9, 2026, after a vigilant resident, Akwasi Twezor, noticed their suspicious movements.
When confronted, they claimed the child was already dead and had palace approval for burial. But Twezor’s instincts proved right—the baby was still alive, gasping faintly for breath.
Chief Linguist, Nana Yaw Badu, later confirmed that Frimpong had misled him earlier in the evening, securing permission for burial by falsely declaring the child dead.
The infant was rushed to the Abofrem Clinic, where she is now responding well to treatment. Police described her as “very beautiful.”
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Evelyn Yitamkey, Commander of DOVVSU in Bibiani, confirmed that the suspects have been provisionally charged.
Frimpong faces attempted murder and conspiracy charges, while Agyapomaa and Appiah are charged with conspiracy and abetment.
They were remanded by the Bibiani Circuit Court, presided over by Judge Frank Asiedu Nimako, to assist investigations.
The docket has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department for advice, ASP Yitamkey indicated.
The attempted crime has provoked fury among residents, many suspecting ritual motives aimed at bolstering the pastor’s influence.
Crowds attempted to attack the suspects outside court, but police intervention prevented mob justice.
The Assembly Member for Ahyiresu, Yusuf Suleiman, has assured residents that justice will be pursued swiftly.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
The forecourt of the African University of Communications and Business (AUCB) in Accra came alive on Friday with colour, creativity and innovation, as Level 300 students transformed the space into a lively exhibition of ideas.
Under the theme “Building meaningful brands beyond the logo,” the students invited patrons into a world where ordinary products were reimagined through storytelling, design and purpose.
From scented candles to innovative food concepts, each stand told a unique story, one that went beyond aesthetics to capture identity, value and human connection.
For many of the students, the event was more than just an academic exercise; it was a moment to dream out loud.
Guided by their lecturer, Peter Wonders, they explored what it truly means to build a brand in today’s competitive world where trust, consistency and experience matter just as much as logos and slogans.
Chairman of the occasion, Nana Kum Gyata VI, in his remarks said a brand is what people say about you when you are not present.
At the end of the presentations, awards were presented to deserving groups with Vida Nyaneba emerging as the overall best branding student.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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