Digital versions of brands are to satisfy customer interest — Graphic MD
The Management of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) has explained that the company’s decision to introduce digital versions of its brands is to ensure that all customers are served well and at their convenience, irrespective of geographical location.
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The Managing Director of the company, Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, said the initiative formed part of the company’s strategies to serve readers who could not access the GCGL’s printed brands.
“It is also to encourage the youth to imbibe reading at their convenience,” he said.
Mr Ashigbey was interacting with Mr Koji Makino, the Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at the Ghana Office, who led a four-member delegation on a courtesy call on the Graphic MD at the company’s headquarters in Accra yesterday.
Digital version
Mr Ashigbey said currently the digital versions of all the company’s brands were accessible through a “Graphic News App” which served its readers in an efficient and effective manner.
“The application, which is accessed on any android phone, is a digital version of its news brands, namely the Daily Graphic, The Mirror, Graphic Sports, Graphic Showbiz, Graphic Business and Junior Graphic.”
He said the company was mandated to serve the public with the latest news or information in and beyond the shores of the country and that the platform made that possible.
Touching on why the company took the bold step to go digital, Mr Ashigbey said the global industry was faced with numerous challenges because the world had fast transformed into an information and digital society.
“It is, therefore, prudent for players in the industry to consider the online newspaper to deal with the challenges of the industry and continue to serve all customers and potential ones effectively,” he added.
Junior Graphic
Elaborating on the operations of the company, Mr Ashigbey said the Junior Graphic, which was targeted at pupils and students, was produced in line with GCGL’s corporate social responsibility (CSR).
That, he explained, was because a quota of the newspaper was donated to some deprived schools as part of supporting the national reading campaign and encouraging pupils in deprived areas to cultivate the habit of reading.
He said due to its quality educational content, the Junior Graphic had become a learning material for some deprived schools that did not have adequate teachers and learning materials.
“Reading among most sections of the public is dying off gradually and we as a company would want, through our operations, to make reading very attractive and convenient to ensure that the habit of reading is revived,” he added.
JICA’s operations
For his part, Mr Makino expressed JICA’s readiness to deepen and broaden collaboration with local institutions to enhance the development of their respective countries.
The agency, he said, was currently focused on three major operational areas locally, comprising infrastructure, health and agriculture, adding, however, that Japan was ready to do further deliberations on potential investment areas with national stakeholders.
“We have also facilitated the training of an appreciable number of Ghanaians in our operational fields as well, both in Ghana and in Japan,” he said.
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