The Ministry of Youth and Sports has clarified the payments made to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) for its role as the official broadcaster of the 13th African Games, which took place in Accra earlier this year.
This clarification comes after a controversy arose from statements made by the Minister for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, during a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) session on Monday, August 19, 2024.
During the PAC session, Minister Mustapha Ussif stated that the Ministry had paid GBC over $3 million for its production and broadcasting services for the Games. This claim was in response to a question from Samuel Nartey George, MP for Ningo-Prampram, who raised concerns about unpaid debts to the technical staff who worked on the event.
However, the Director-General of GBC, Prof. Amin Alhassan, publicly refuted the Minister’s statement, asserting that GBC had only received $105,000, which was specifically allocated to support the broadcaster’s decision to dedicate an entire channel to the African Games, thereby suspending regular programming on GTV Sports Plus.
In response to the apparent discrepancy, the Ministry of Youth and Sports issued a detailed breakdown of the financial arrangements made with GBC on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
According to the Ministry, multiple proposals were submitted by various stakeholders for the production and broadcasting rights of the 13th African Games. Some of these proposals exceeded $6 million, which the Ministry deemed excessive. Consequently, the Ministry chose to engage GBC as the official broadcaster, partly because GBC’s financial proposal was the most cost-effective.
“The Ministry of Youth and Sports, through the Local Organising Committee, received proposals from various stakeholders for the production and broadcasting rights for the 13th African Games. Some organisations submitted proposals in excess of $6 million, which the Ministry deemed excessive,” the Ministry’s statement noted.
The Ministry clarified that the total agreed amount for GBC’s services was $3.6 million. Out of this total, $2.5 million was paid directly to GBC in two tranches: $1 million on March 13, 2024, and $1.5 million on May 22, 2024.
The remaining $1 million was paid directly to third-party service providers as instructed by GBC, in line with the contractual agreement.
The Ministry emphasized its commitment to transparency and accountability, ensuring that all financial transactions were conducted with the highest level of integrity.
