A series of letters, have revealed a web of inconsistencies, regarding Prof. Amin Alhassan’s reappointment as Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). This raises questions about the legitimacy of his continued tenure without confirmation from the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Ofosu Kwakye and financial clearance from the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
Three letters originating from three key entities—the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, the National Media Commission (NMC), and GBC itself—are at the centre of the debacle.
These letters, reveal contrasting timelines for Prof. Alhassan’s renewed contract, raising concerns about the validity of his continued tenure.
In a letter dated March 11, 2025, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, raised serious concerns regarding the financial clearance for the Director-General’s new contract, stating that Prof. Alhassan’s salary and related allowances as the Director-General of GBC, have been suspended.
The Department, further emphasised the necessity for retrospective financial clearance from October 2, 2023, “to avoid the issue of unearned salaries arising” and announced the suspension of the Director-General’s salary from March 2025.
Signed by Kwasi Agyei, the Controller and Accountant-General, the letter stated: “Section 25(5) of the Public Financial Management Act (Act 921), 2016 states as follows: ‘A commitment in respect of staff recruitment shall, subject to financial clearance by the Minister, be within the limits set by Parliament under Section 21 (5) (e) (ix).’
“In this respect, financial clearance is required for this new contract for four years, commencing on 2nd October 2023 and ending in September 2027, to enable the processing of the payment of salary and related allowances to the Director-General.
“It is important to note that the financial clearance to be sought for the Director-General of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) should take retrospective effect from 2nd October 2023 to avoid the issue of unearned salaries arising. In the interim, the Department is suspending the payment of salary of the Director-General from March 2025. The need for financial clearance for such appointments has always been the practice.”
Adding to the confusion, is a letter addressed to the Board Chairman by the Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC), George Sarpong, who insists that Prof. Alhassan’s appointment, was renewed on February 26, 2024.
“As you are aware, on 26th February 2024, the Commission renewed the appointment of Prof. Amin Alhassan as Director-General of GBC.” The NMC letter also acknowledged: “Even though this was announced at the event to introduce the new Board of the Corporation on August 13, 2024, recent media publications suggest that some employees remain unaware of the renewal.”
This statement, reveals a delay in the internal communication of the supposed reappointment. The Commission, therefore, asked the Board to take immediate steps to communicate the renewal to all staff and assured its readiness to provide any necessary clarification.
This raises the question of whether a renewal in 2024, can align with a claim of a contract that supposedly commenced in October 2023.
It will be recalled that the unionised staff of GBC, has reiterated their demand for the immediate removal of the Director-General, arguing that he no longer aligns with the aspirations of both the workers and the corporation.
At a press conference on March 20, 2025, the Chairman of the GBC Local Union, Sam Nat Kevor, declared Prof. Amin Alhassan “persona non grata” at GBC.
He acknowledged the broadcaster’s strategic role in national security but emphasised that workers had lost confidence in both Prof. Alhassan and the NMC.
Mr Kevor, stressed that the Director-General’s tenure, officially ended on October 1, 2023, yet the NMC, had kept him in office for 17 months without formally updating staff or the public on his status.
He further stated that since November 21, 2023, the union, through its mother union, the Public Sector Workers Union (PSWU), had written to the NMC and the Office of the President, seeking clarification on the Director-General’s position.
In response, the NMC, in a letter dated December 11, 2023, stated that it was in the process of determining GBC’s leadership, citing Article 168 of the 1992 Constitution, which empowers the Commission to appoint the Board and Chief Executives of state-owned media in consultation with the President.
In a sharp rebuttal to media reports questioning the legitimacy of Prof. Alhassan’s tenure, GBC’s Corporate Affairs Department, issued a rejoinder stating that his initial appointment “elapsed on 1st October 2023” and that the NMC renewed his term effective 2nd October 2023.
The rejoinder, signed by Deputy Director Stephanie Baka in response to The Herald newspaper, which had been on the matter, dismissed claims of worker dissent as “falsehood,” but failed to address the contradictory timelines in the NMC and the Accountant-General’s letters.
The inconsistencies raise critical questions: Why does the NMC claim a February 2024 renewal, while the Accountant-General references an October 2023 start date?
Why was financial clearance not secured before salary payments began, leading to a suspension in March 2025?
The Controller and Accountant-General’s letter underscores that, “financial clearance for such appointments has always been the practice,” implying procedural breaches.
Meanwhile, the NMC’s silence on the backdated contract and the GBC’s insistence on a seamless renewal without addressing the financial irregularities, deepen the controversy.
As scrutiny intensifies, workers and observers demand clarity on whether Prof. Alhassan’s reappointment followed due process or was retroactively approved to conceal administrative lapses.
“In the interim, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department is suspending the payment of salary of the Director-General from March 2025,” the Accountant-General’s letter declared, casting doubt on the legality of payments made since October 2023.
With state institutions providing conflicting accounts, the GBC saga highlights systemic gaps in public sector appointments and the urgent need for transparency.