THE new Managing Director (MD) of the Graphic Communication Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Kenneth Ashighey, took office yesterday with a promise “to look outside Ghana” in his quest to attract a wider market for the company’s seven newspapers and its publishing and packaging services.
Speaking during a short ceremony at the company’s head office in Accra to be formally introduced to the executive management of the company, Mr Ashighey said “the market in Ghana is very small and we at Graphic would have to be looking outside if we want to grow the business.
“It is not going to be difficult conquering West Africa,” he said adding that what the company needed to do in that regard was to build on its current laurels chalked up both in Ghana and the West African sub-region.
The new MD also hinted of his intentions to diversify the company’s current portfolios from print to cover other areas of the media.
“I think it is not for nothing that the word communications was added to the name of the company,” he said, noting that the addition thus makes it possible for GCGL to go into other areas of media work other than remaining in the publishing and printing of newspapers as is currently the case.
Mr Ashighey thanked the National Media Commission (NMC) — the appointing body — for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to work hard to the benefit of the commission, the company and the country Ghana at large.
“I consider this job as a service to mother Ghana and I’m taking it with all humility,” he said, adding that his outfit was going to work hard to achieve all targets within the four-year period that he had been given.
While commending the past the acting MD, Mr Kwesi Adjei Kersi, for successfully co-ordinating the migration onto the company’s new printing machine, Mr Ashighey said “my role as the MD is not to come and tell the hardworking staff of Graphic how to do what they already do best.
“Mine is about leadership and providing vision for the company,” he said and thus called on the company’s staff to continue working as a team as had been the case in the past.
The Chairman o of the NMC, Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, who chaired the ceremony, thanked Mr Ashighey for accepting to take up the role but reminded him of the constitutional provision that enjoined state-owned media in the country to provide equal coverage to all divergent views expressed by the citizenry.
He said although the company was expected to strive for financial sufficiency to enable it to cater for the needs of its staff and operations, “you (Mr Ashighey) should also ensure that all publications of the company meet constitutional regulations.
“You should also be reminded that Graphic is the flagship of the media in Ghana and whoever comes to work here only adds to its credibility but does not subtract from it,” Mr Blair-Amihere added.
The NMC Chairman also thanked Mr Kersi “for holding the fort for almost a year” pending the appointment of a substantive MD.
The appointment of Mr Ashighey as MD of GCGL was necessitated by the resignation of the company’s former MD, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim Awal, earlier this year for which reason Mr Kersi was asked to act.
Per the current appointment, Mr Ashighey will serve as GCGL MD for four years after which both sides (the appointing authority and Mr Ashighey) would have the right to a renewal of mandate.
Present at the ceremony were some board members, executive managers of GCGL and the media.
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