About Us - GNA

PROFILE

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) was established on 5th March 1957 on the eve of Ghana's Independence by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, First President of the Republic of Ghana. The GNA is the first news agency in Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah, the great Pan-Africanist, saw the Agency as a medium to counter the biased and distorted news in the Western Media; project the African personality; promote national cohesion and overall national development.

    

Over the years the Agency has developed the most far-reaching network of Journalists and Stringers spread across the length and breadth of Ghana covering events 24/7.

    

The Agency covers all the news from social, economics, politics, science and environment to sports in Ghana and the rest of the world through its strategic partnership with Xinhua, the Chinese News Agency; United Press International (UPI); Press Trust of India (PTI) and YONHAP of South Korea.

 

GNA articles that are at present in text form and photographs may not be reproduced, distributed; transmitted; displayed or broadcast without prior written permission from the Agency.

 

VISION

GNA strives to be a first class centre of excellence in newsgathering and reporting using highly-trained, competent and well motivated professionals; state-of-the-art technology and to be the preferred source of news on Ghana, Africa and the rest of the world.

 

MISSION

GNA's mission is to act as a catalyst to the politico-socio-economic development of Ghana and in the creation of a knowledge-based Ghanaian society through the gathering; processing and disseminating of high quality news and information of interest and relevance and in consonance with the core values of Ghanaians as a people, from the whole country, Africa and the rest of the world.

 

MADUS OPERANDI

GNA's fundamental operational guidelines are targeted at getting it right and giving a true picture of the situation. They demand scrupulous use of the English language; presentation of both sides of a story; accuracy and rigorous sourcing to produce balanced news file as near to real time as possible.

 

PRODUCTS

GNA currently produces in text form and photographs Home News and Foreign News Bulletins. These are segmented into Social; Economics; Politics; Science and Environment and Sports.

   

THE PROCESS

The Agency intends to move gradually from the current text format and photographs to audio visuals like voice on tape, video and pot casting.

 

LOCAL NEWS

The Agency processes on the average 30,000 words of local news on a weekday, 10,000 words during the weekend for distribution to its subscribers.

 

The Agency covers all major international events held in Ghana for distribution to its subscribers and strategic partners.

 

The Agency covers at least five news events from each of the 138 District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies annually.

  

The Agency conducts interviews and writes stories on the "Building a Better Ghana Policy" as it affects health care delivery; education; sanitation; agriculture; industry and the provision of electricity and potable water.

 

The Agency conducts interviews and writes stories on job creation; resuscitation of the manufacturing sector of the economy to offer employment; the performance of the service sector; transportation and investment potentials of the various parts of the country.

 

The Agency continues to perform its functions of covering the Presidency; Parliament; Courts, Tribunals; Commissions of Inquiries; Sports and Entertainment and Entry and Exit Points - Kotoka International Airport; Tema and Takoradi Harbours; Aflao; Elubo; Hamile; Missiga and other places.

 

FOREIGN NEWS

GNA is currently in strategic partnership with Xinhua (Chinese News Agency); United Press International (UPI); Press Trust of India (PTI) and YONHAP of South Korea and exchanges news items with them on batter basis.

 

The Agency continues to seek similar arrangements with other news agencies.

 

The Agency currently produces on the average about 20,000 words of foreign news items on weekdays and 5,000 words during weekends from its strategic partners.

 

The Foreign News Bulletin follows the format of the Local News Bulletin. It is segmented into Foreign Social; Foreign Political; Foreign Economics; Foreign Science and Environment and Foreign Sports.

 

INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION

The Information and Documentation Section serves as an important store house for the Editorial Department. It continues to attract researchers from a wide range of fields. Indeed the GNA Library is reputed to be where information on any major event since Ghana's Independence could be accessed.

via ghananewsagency.org