Ghana News Agency to set up training school
The Ghana News Agency (GNA), is to establish a Training School as part of its rebranding efforts to provide specialization training courses for the media in Ghana and in service training for its journalists to meet the changing dynamism of media practice globally.
The training school would offer short term courses and modules that would be suitable to journalists and stringers of the Agency across the country and others to be abreast with the changing trends of the media landscape.
Mr Bernard Otabil, the General Manager of the Agency, made this known during a mini staff durbar in Koforidua where he interacted with the staff in the Regional office.
He said GNA being the first news agency established in sub- Saharan Africa must regain its glory and relevance in media practice not only in Ghana but all over Africa as it used to be and that required the support of all.
Mr Otabil said in that direction, he had identified a number of programmes including the setting up of Business Units in all the regional offices to provide public relations and events management services to the public, research and analysis and attract advertisement to raise funds for the Agency.
According to Mr Otabil, GNA must move from the era of being a spending institution, dependent on the central government for all its cost to an institution that generates enough funds for its internal operation to boost the economy.
He noted that government wanted public service institutions like the GNA to be innovative enough to support its own agenda for economic enhancement.
Mr Otabil therefore tasked the Regional Managers of the Agency to be proactive by instituting programmes and strategic events that would raise the image of the agency as well as generate funds to reduce its reliance on government purse.
He said it was unfortunate that staff of the agency had to use their own resources to gather news, the core function of the agency, especially those in the regions.
He assured that measures had been put in place to improve the working conditions including rehabilitation of offices in the regions where necessary.
Mr Otabil noted that from all indication staff of the agency had the zeal and passion to work to move the agency forward but the lack of policy direction and motivation over the years had hindered that zeal.
He therefore appealed to all staff to overcome the apathy and inertia from past experiences and support the noble cause of rebranding the Agency.
He reminded all that GNA had a duty to uphold by setting the standard to become the reference point in journalism in Ghana “and in that effort, every staff of the agency has a role to play because GNA’s problems must be solved together” he reiterated.
Mr Christian Godwin Osah, the Regional Manager, talked about the deplorable condition of the Regional office and the problems they face in news gathering, adding that, despite the challenges, staff in the region had remained committed and passionate to the cause of the Agency.
Mr Osah assured the General Manager of their support in the rebranding efforts to put the GNA at its rightful place.
Source: GNA