Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has firmly rejected a proposal from MultiChoice Ghana, operators of DStv, describing it as illogical and out of touch with the concerns of Ghanaian consumers.
In a strongly worded statement, the minister said he had taken note of MultiChoice’s recent press release, but found it a clear indication that the company “does not take the Ghanaian people serious enough.”
He referenced how MultiChoice’s parent company had responded to regulatory pressure in Nigeria by reversing subscription price hikes after intervention by both the judiciary and the Nigerian House of Representatives.
“They complied,” Sam George noted, contrasting that with DStv Ghana’s 15% increase in April 2025 — a period when the cedi had appreciated, inflation had dropped, and fuel prices had declined.
Rejecting an alternative proposal allegedly tabled by DStv, the minister said: “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.”
According to him, the central issue is the high cost of the service — not the retention or transfer of revenue. “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 asked.
Sam George said his stance is rooted in a broader commitment to resetting how public service protects citizens from corporate excesses. “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.”
He acknowledged the concerns of DStv’s local staff but called on them to “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,” he stressed. “Anything else is tangential and of no consequence.”
His comments follow MultiChoice Ghana’s own statement, issued on August 3 and signed by Managing Director Alex Okyere, in which the company defended its pricing. The broadcaster described the Minister’s proposed price reduction as “not tenable,” citing Ghana’s challenging economic landscape and insisting its pricing reflects the costs of providing quality service and variety.
MultiChoice also denied claims that it had ever dismissed the cedi’s gains as a fluke, and lamented what it saw as a breakdown of trust between the company and the Ministry.
