Mahama proposes public media levy to replace TV licence
President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that the Cabinet is currently considering reforms to Ghana’s TV licence regime, with plans to submit proposed amendments to Parliament after internal deliberations are concluded.
The President made the announcement during a visit to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) on Thursday, January 8, as part of his engagements with key state institutions.
He said the government is examining options to replace the existing TV licence with a public media levy aimed at improving funding for public broadcasters.
“There are a few suggestions we have concerning the so-called TV licence,” President Mahama said.
“And I think that our thinking is going in the same direction to amend that law to make it a public media levy of some sort.”
According to him, the proposed levy would have a broader base and stronger revenue mobilisation potential, enabling the state to provide more consistent and effective support for public media operations, including GBC.
President Mahama noted that once cabinet finalises its discussions, the government will engage relevant stakeholders, particularly public media institutions, before forwarding the proposed amendments to Parliament.
“When we’re ready, we’ll be discussing at Cabinet, but we’ll discuss with you what our thinking is before we finally go to Parliament and amend the law,” he stated.
He expressed optimism that the reforms would significantly enhance the financial capacity of public broadcasters, allowing them to operate more efficiently and better deliver on their public service mandate.
“I’m sure that with some of the suggestions we’ve got, you’ll be able to raise the amount of funding that it brings in and make it better able to do your work,” the President added.
