# Who Owns Ghana's Media?

> Ghana's press freedom ranks up 13 places as state and private media blend in 2026.
- Title: Who Owns Ghana's Media? · The Rio Times | Shortify
- Summary: Ghana's press freedom ranks up 13 places as state and private media blend in 2026. Ghana ranked 39th in 2026 press freedom index, up from 52nd in 2025, with…
- Keywords: ghana, press freedom, media ownership, rsf, national media commission, ghana broadcasting corporation, graphic communications, new times corporation, multimedia group, right to information act, misinformation bill, news
- Source: The Rio Times — https://riotimesonline.com/ghana-media-landscape-explained-2026
- Author: Samuel Ncube
- Published: 2026-10-16T14:50:58+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: ghana, press freedom, media ownership, rsf, national media commission, ghana broadcasting corporation, graphic communications, new times corporation, multimedia group, right to information act, misinformation bill, news
## Ghana Media Landscape
Ghana media blends state-owned newspapers and broadcasters with private radio, TV and online outlets as of October 2026.
## Press Freedom Rank
Ghana ranked 39th of 180 countries in the 2026 press freedom index, up 13 places from 2025.
## Key Numbers
571 FM radio stations and 124 TV operators were on air as of Q2 2026, with 26.3 million Ghanaians online in October 2025.
## State Media Ownership
The state owns Graphic Communications, the New Times Corporation and broadcaster GBC.
## Private Media Groups
Multimedia Group, founded by Kwasi Twum in 1995, runs Joy and Adom; Despite Group and Media General were large owners in 2017.
## Regulation
The National Media Commission oversees state media and the National Communications Authority licenses broadcasters.
## Right to Information
The Right to Information Act of 2019 lets anyone request records from public bodies, with 2,575 requests received in 2024.
## Misinformation Bill
The government announced a misinformation bill in April 2025, but it is not confirmed Parliament has passed it by October 2026.
## Press Freedom Score
Ghana scored 72.20 points in the 2026 press freedom index against 67.13 in 2025, an improvement of 5.07 points.
## Journalist Safety
RSF reported no journalist deaths in Ghana since January 2026 but studios were attacked during live broadcasts.
## Social Media Use
8.59 million social media user identities in Ghana in October 2025, or 24.4% of the population.
## Prediction Markets
Kalshi predicts President John Mahama's NDC has a 59.5% chance of winning Ghana's 2028 parliamentary election.
## What It Means for US Readers
US travelers and investors can read open English-language Ghanaian news but should weigh party-linked ownership and viral claims.
## Ownership Challenges
About a third of outlets had no ownership data in 2017, with incomplete or outdated records in other cases.
## What to Watch
Watch whether the misinformation bill reaches Parliament, August 2026 fines for RTI compliance, and Ghana's 2027 press freedom ranking.
## Next Steps
Ghana's press freedom is expected to improve with stronger regulation and transparency in media ownership.
## Key takeaway

Ghana ranked 39th in 2026 press freedom index, up from 52nd in 2025, with state-owned and private outlets.