Meet Kenyan Journalist Running One of the Biggest TV Stations in Ghana

Side by side photos of Ghana One TV head of business Ondiro Oganga.
Side by side photos of Ghana One TV head of business Ondiro Oganga.
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On May 18, a Kenyan voice blasted through the Ghana One TV, one of the country's five biggest broadcasters, to deliver some distressing news.

Coupled with facial expressions and hand gestures to match, the presenter broke down the worsening state of the Ghanaian economy with tactical skills easily discernible by the young as well as the old.

At the time, Ghana was going through a season of hyperinflation, and Ondiro Oganga, Ghana One TV's head of the Business division, took it upon herself to break down the story for her viewers north of 300,000 people.

In an exclusive interview with Kenyans.co.ke, Oganga, who also manages the Business Desk of Ghana One TV's parent company Excellence In Broadcasting (EIB) Networks, confirmed that she officially joined the West African-based media house in December 2021.

Kenyan journalist working in Ghana Ondiro Oganga
A Kenyan journalist working in Ghana Ondiro Oganga.
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Her interest to shift from the Kenyan media space where she served as a journalist at Metropol TV to Ghana dates back to 2019.

"I had touched base with our general manager in 2019 when I came to Ghana to explore the media space and see the opportunities available.

"We had a conversation and I was to come back for a screen test, however, Covid-19 happened. I officially moved to Ghana in 2021 and upon an interview, I got the role," she stated.

She further revealed that she was inspired to make the decision by her innate yearning for something different.

"I wanted something different. Disrupt myself and the status quo and see where that leads me. I was also ready for growth and a new challenge," she added.

In the six months that she has lived and worked in Ghana, Oganga has noticed the stark difference between the Kenyan media space and that of the West African country.

For instance, the media space in Kenya is super competitive and aggressive while in Ghana, the industry has an edge as the masses consume news better in terms of offering feedback.

"Our work ethic is different. Kenyans are super pacy, efficient and mostly disciplined at work. Whatever it takes to get the job done mentality. Here the office setting is a bit lax," she observed.

The EIB Network prides itself in being one of the biggest media houses in Ghana and manages seven radio stations as well as two TV Stations.

The radio stations are Starr FM, Live FM, Kasapa FM, Ultimate Radio, Agoo FM, Abusua FM and Empire FM. In the TV category, Ghana One TV is the flagship brand complemented with Agoo TV.

The journalist noted that the Ghana TV industry is a budding market with many areas yet to be explored which, when compared to Kenya, the latter has a more advanced labour force.

Even though she landed her dream job, Oganga admitted that she misses her family and at the beginning, she yearned Ugali and Kales, a meal not easily available in the foreign land.

"Previously I would miss ugali and sukuma (kales) but I found maize flour from South Africa and sukuma known as collard bunch here. Now I just miss my family so much," she concluded.

She graduated from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology and also holds an intermediate certificate from Columbia University.

Kenyan Journalist and Ghana One TV head of business Ondiro Oganga
Kenyan Journalist and Ghana One TV head of business Ondiro Oganga.
File