The Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Mr. Samuel Nartey George, has criticised MultiChoice Ghana’s proposal in response to demands for reduced DStv subscription fees, describing it as illogical.
According to the Minister, MultiChoice—the operators of DStv Ghana—proposed to retain existing subscription fees but offered to halt the repatriation of revenue to its headquarters.
His comments follow a statement issued by MultiChoice on Sunday, August 3, and signed by its Managing Director, Alex Okyere, in which the company argued that reducing subscription fees, as requested by the Minister, was not tenable.
The company described the Minister’s previous directive to the National Communications Authority (NCA) to suspend DStv’s broadcasting licence as “regrettable,” noting ongoing efforts to engage constructively with the government in good faith.
MultiChoice also disclosed that it had submitted a proposal to the Minister and the NCA outlining alternative avenues for engagement—chief among them being the retention of current pricing while foregoing the transfer of revenue to its parent company.
But in a sharp response posted on Facebook on Sunday, August 3, Mr. George rejected the offer, insisting that it fails to address the core issue of pricing.
“They proposed that I allow them to maintain the collection of the exorbitant bouquet prices as they stand, but order them not to send the revenue to their headquarters. In all honesty, that offer lacks any logic in my estimation. The essence of my action is to see Ghanaians pay a fair price for the services offered. How does this proposal solve the real issue?” he stated.
The Minister further expressed frustration over what he described as years of exploitation of Ghanaian subscribers and reiterated his determination to ensure pricing reforms.
“I remain open to ‘constructive engagements’ that are centred on PRICE REDUCTION. Anything else is tangential and of no consequence,” he added.
The ongoing standoff between the Ministry and MultiChoice has sparked public debate over the affordability and value of pay-TV services in Ghana.
Read below the statement by Sam George on Facebook
“I have read the release by DStv Ghana and taken full consideration that they vindicate my earlier position that they simply do not take the Ghanaian people serious enough.
The same Group operating in Nigeria reversed price increases in Nigeria when the Nigerian authorities sued them. The Nigerian House of Representatives took the matter up and ordered a suspension of the increases. They complied.
This year, in April, at a time the Ghanaian cedi had seen a ~10% appreciation against all major currencies, inflation had dropped by over 5% and fuel prices had also dropped, DStv announced and implemented a 15% increase.
I believe in the interest of transparency, I make public the alternate proposal that DStv offered to me that I flatly rejected.
They proposed that I allow them maintain the collection of the exorbitant bouquet prices as they stand but order them not to send the revenue to their headquarters. In all honesty, that offer lacks any logic in my estimation. The essence of my action is to see Ghanaians pay a fair price for the services offered. How does this proposal solve the real issue?
For far too long, corporations have fleeced the Ghanaian people. There has been a RESET and it demands a new style of public service that is fiercely protective of the Ghanaian people. I remain empathetic to the Ghanaian staff of DStv but I believe that they should stand with the rest of us as we demand what is right for us.
I remain open to “constructive engagements” that are centred on PRICE REDUCTION. Anything else is tangential and of no consequence.
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