GNA holds maiden forum with subscribers

Dr Bernard Otabil, General Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) has urged effective collaboration between the GNA and its stakeholders, saying that such cooperation is essential for the translation of the Agency's vision into tangible outcomes for the benefit of all.

Dr Otabil made the call on Wednesday in Accra when he interacted with editors of media houses that subscribe to GNA news files, in what is held as the first 'Editors Forum' organised by the Agency in recent memory.

The purpose of the forum was to afford both the GNA Management and the editors an opportunity to share ideas pertaining to the operational challenges confronting each side, and to foster a closer partnership in their dealings with each other based on mutual understanding.

The General Manager spelt out five thematic areas along which the Agency would be transformed into a competitive stakeholder on the Ghanaian media landscape, and which would also enable the GNA to provide it's subscribers the best of services.

These include the development of systems and structures to support future growth; identifying strong areas for business expansion; organising seminars, conferences and events, and the provision of premium service to journalists.

Dr Otabil noted that the GNA occupied a prominent place in the Ghanaian media scene and that with a new sense of direction, the Agency could provide relevant news to its subscribers, which they could not ordinarily get from other news sources.

“The advent of media pluralism has made the GNA more relevant now than ever before as media organizations need to be fed with credible, objective and accurate news,” he said.

He indicated that the Agency was introducing new products such as the GNA Mobile, an on-demand access to news and other relevant information.

Dr Otabil also announced that the GNA would establish a media training centre where journalists who wished to upgrade their professional skills would enroll on various programmes.

Prominent among the concerns raised by editors present was the question of quality of stories received from GNA.

In response, the General Manager expressed appreciation for their candid views. He gave the assurance that the agency's editorial board was working hard on the problem and that some strategies had been adopted to deal with the situation.