The Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has issued a firm directive to the National Communications Authority (NCA) to suspend the broadcasting licence of MultiChoice-owned DSTV if it fails to reduce its subscription rates by Wednesday, August 7, 2025.
Speaking at a ministerial press briefing in Accra on Friday, August 1, Mr. George said the instruction became necessary after the satellite TV service provider declined to revise its charges despite the recent appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi.
He explained that the directive followed growing discontent from consumers, who have repeatedly raised concerns about the cost of DSTV packages amid improving macroeconomic conditions, especially the strengthening of the local currency.
According to Mr. George, he had personally engaged with officials from DSTV during a high-level meeting held on July 4, 2025. The meeting was convened with the aim of persuading the company to consider a downward adjustment in its subscription fees in response to the improved performance of the cedi.
Despite those discussions, he said, the company submitted a detailed nine-page response to the Ministry, justifying its current pricing model.
In that response, MultiChoice Ghana reportedly argued that over the past eight years, the cedi had seen a cumulative depreciation of more than 200 percent, and that the recent recovery in the currency’s value was not sufficient to warrant an immediate reduction in prices.
The Minister, however, rejected that position, stating that price structures should reflect prevailing economic realities, particularly when conditions are improving.
He added that as Minister, his allegiance was to the interests of Ghanaians and not corporate justifications that fail to align with the country’s economic progress.
He noted that unless DSTV takes appropriate steps to review its subscription tariffs by the stated deadline, the NCA has been directed to initiate processes to suspend the company’s broadcasting operations in Ghana.
