The Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Prof. Amin Alhassan, has refuted claims made by the Sports Ministry that GBC received over $3 million for its coverage of the recently concluded 13th African Games.
During a Public Accounts Committee session on Monday, August 19, Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif stated that the state broadcaster had been paid more than $3 million.
This statement was made in response to concerns raised by Committee member Sam George regarding unpaid debts to the technical staff who worked on the games.
However, speaking on GBC, Prof. Alhassan denied these claims, clarifying that the broadcaster received only $105,000, which was intended as support for GBC’s decision to dedicate an entire channel to the African Games, thereby suspending normal programming on GTV Sports Plus.
He said, “Yesterday I was one of those who were shocked to learn that the Minister of Youth and Sports said that they have paid GBC in excess of $3 million. And I want to assure every Ghanaian in the public that GBC’s total benefit from the African Games was $105,000 equivalent, nothing more was paid as a benefit to GBC.
“And that payment of $105,000 was in support of the fact that we dedicated an entire channel for 24 hours. We suspended normal programming for the GTV Sports Plus, and we dedicated it to the African Games and for our role as the official broadcaster.”