Workers at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) are once again in an uproar, demanding the immediate removal of their Director-General, Professor Amin Alhassan.
The D-G, whose four-year term ended on October 1, 2023, has continued to occupy the top seat, defying both employee demands and official directives.
The GBC Divisional Union of the Public Services Workers’ Union (PSWU) has issued a fresh notice to the National Media Commission (NMC), giving them a 10-day ultimatum to act or face the consequences.
This new agitation follows several ignored petitions and a directive from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to suspend the D-G’s salary.
A D-G Who Won’t Go
For nearly two years, Professor Alhassan has remained in office despite his tenure officially ending. According to sources, he continues to make decisions and enter into agreements on behalf of the state broadcaster, raising serious legal questions.
This situation is happening even as the current government has issued a directive to suspend all post-retirement contracts for public service staff.
The union’s latest letter to the NMC, dated July 21, 2025, serves as a final warning. Addressed to NMC Chairperson Professor Akua Biritwum, the letter states that the union finds it “untenable” for the D-G to continue to act as a “Spending Officer.”
“The Union, by this letter, is respectfully giving the chairperson and her Commission ten (10) working days to resolve the issue,” the letter reads. “If this fails, we will accordingly advise ourselves.”
This is the fourth petition the workers have sent regarding the D-G’s continued stay, with previous warnings raising concerns about the “serious legal implications” of his actions after his legitimate term had expired.
Financial Clearance Issues and Suspended Salary
The situation has also caught the attention of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department. In a letter dated March 14, 2025, the department cited the Public Financial Management Act (Act 921) and announced it was suspending the payment of the D-G’s salary.
The letter noted that financial clearance for his continued employment would have to be sought retrospectively from October 2, 2023, to prevent “unearned salaries.”
Despite this directive and an accompanying memo from the Ministry of Finance warning against illegal appointments without financial clearance, Professor Alhassan has remained in his position for five months, with the issues raised by the Controller still unresolved.
The Ministry of Finance memo, which accompanied the union’s letter, explicitly states that appointments made without prior financial clearance are “illegal” and that heads of institutions who flout the directive “will be held personally responsible for any resulting financial consequences.”