The Ghana News Agency (GNA), established in 1957 shortly after the country’s independence, holds the distinction of being the first national news agency in Sub-Saharan Africa. Founded with the aim of telling Ghana’s story from a national perspective, GNA was designed to counterbalance Western news dominance and to function as an official wire service for both domestic and international dissemination. Over the decades, it has become a key supplier of syndicated news content for radio stations, newspapers, and online platforms across the country.
Media assets
News agency: Ghana News Agency
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
GNA is a fully state-owned entity. The governance structure is tightly interwoven with the political establishment: its Board of Directors and General Manager are appointed by the National Media Commission (NMC), in consultation with the President. While the NMC is constitutionally mandated to shield media institutions from direct political interference, it remains widely seen as a body susceptible to government influence, especially when it comes to appointments at state-run media houses.
No structural reforms have been introduced in 2025 to enhance the agency’s operational autonomy or insulate it from executive control.
Source of funding and budget
GNA remains almost entirely dependent on the state for its financial survival. Its revenue model is by a large margin reliant on government subvention, with negligible income generated from commercial sources or subscription services.
- 2019 Allocation: GHS 4.42 million (approx. US$ 860,000) – virtually its full budget
- 2020 Allocation: GHS 6.23 million out of a total GHS 7.24 million budget (approx. US$ 1.2 million)
- 2023 Allocation: GHS 11.2 million (approx. US$ 983,000), according to the national budget report
- 2025 Projection: No official figures released as of June 2025, but GNA has reportedly submitted a revised budget proposal seeking an increase of 20% to meet salary arrears and upgrade outdated IT infrastructure
In April 2025, Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee expressed concern over GNA’s “static revenue strategy” and its failure to develop independent income streams. Calls were made for the agency to modernize its syndication model and explore content licensing opportunities with private media outlets and international wire services.
Editorial independence
GNA’s editorial posture is widely viewed as an extension of government public relations. The agency’s output remains heavily slanted in favor of official narratives, with coverage frequently highlighting presidential engagements, ministerial tours, and government development projects.
A 2024 content audit conducted for this report found no critical or investigative reporting was found in any of the news segments sampled.
Despite occasional public affirmations of editorial independence by GNA leadership, there are no domestic statutes or mechanisms for independent review of its content. The absence of a legally mandated oversight body renders GNA’s claims of autonomy largely symbolic.
June 2025