The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has called on the government to step in and settle an outstanding electricity debt of GH¢13.6 million, describing it as a legacy liability that arose from shared state infrastructure.
The appeal was made during President John Dramani Mahama’s visit to the state broadcaster, where the Director-General, Prof. Amin Alhassan, explained the circumstances behind the arrears.
He noted that the debt dates back several years to a period when multiple state institutions relied on a common power supply at GBC’s premises.
According to Prof. Alhassan, agencies including the military, police and national security services previously drew electricity from the same source as GBC, at a time when individual metering had not yet been introduced. When the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) later installed meters in GBC’s name, the accumulated consumption was recorded solely against the broadcaster.
Prof. Alhassan said that once the issue was raised, the other agencies disconnected from the shared system and secured alternative power sources, leaving GBC responsible for the arrears.
As a result, the entire debt was transferred to the Corporation, even though it was not the sole beneficiary of the electricity consumed.
He disclosed that GBC has already paid about GH¢5 million this year but still faces a significant outstanding balance.
Prof. Alhassan appealed to the government to absorb the remaining GH¢13.6 million to ease the financial strain on the broadcaster and enable it to continue delivering reliable public service broadcasting to Ghanaians.
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