MultiChoice Defends DStv Pricing in Ghana, Minister Calls for Reduction
In a detailed public reply, the Honourable Minister did not hold back. “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,” he said.
A standoff has erupted between MultiChoice Ghana and Ghana’s Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Hon. Samuel Nartey George, following public disagreements over DStv subscription pricing in the country.
In a media statement released on 3 August, MultiChoice Ghana said it was concerned about recent statements made by the Minister and called the stance “regrettable,” despite the company’s attempts to engage “candidly and in good faith on this important matter.”
“In an effort to arrive at a resolution,” the company stated, “we have made a proposal to the Honourable Minister and the National Communications Authority (‘the NCA’) on an alternative further engagement avenue.”
MultiChoice, which has operated in Ghana for over three decades, said it “endeavours at all times to keep DStv subscription fees as low as possible, despite the extremely challenging competitive and macro-economic environment in which we operate, without compromising on customer choice and the quality of the services we offer.”
The company added that while it “appreciates the recent appreciation of the Cedi (which we have never referred to as a ‘fluke’), it is not tenable to reduce the DStv subscription fees in the manner proposed by the Minister.”
In a detailed public reply, the Honourable Minister did not hold back. “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,” he said.
Drawing comparisons with MultiChoice’s operations elsewhere, the Minister stated: “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.”
He added: “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.”
The Minister went further to disclose details of a proposal he says MultiChoice submitted to him behind closed doors: “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?”
He stressed that the time had come for a shift in how corporate interests are handled in Ghana. “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.”
While acknowledging the company’s local employees, he concluded: “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.”
He closed his statement with a firm stance on the path forward: “I remain open to ‘constructive engagements’ that are centred on PRICE REDUCTION. Anything else is tangential and of no consequence.”
As of press time, MultiChoice Ghana has not issued a further response to the Minister’s latest remarks.
