Prince Hari Crystal, a member of the Executive Council of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), has called for urgent reforms to strengthen public service broadcasting in Ghana.
Speaking at the “Broadcasting at the Crossroads” forum organised by the Africa Media Bureau at the Alisa Hotel on Friday, September 26, 2025, he stressed the need to transform the state-owned broadcaster into a genuine public service institution capable of complementing the work of commercial media houses.
“We have the issue of public service broadcasting and the current state, as we have it as the state-owned broadcaster. It needs to move from where it is to a true type of public service broadcaster.
“That helps to complement some of the things that commercial broadcasters will not cover. It fosters growth, cohesion, and many things that inure to the benefit of the state,” he explained.
To achieve this, Mr. Crystal proposed the creation of a media development fund alongside a new legal framework to replace the outdated TV licensing regime.
“We have suggested that there should be a media development fund and we should also find a way to change the old law of the TV licensing regime into a new law that allows for a more ring-fenced arrangement where everybody can contribute so that the state-owned media can become truly independent and not rely on subventions from government,” he said.
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