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The Minister for Communications, Samuel Nartey George, has issued a firm ultimatum to DStv Ghana to reduce its subscription prices by 7 August or risk having its broadcasting licence suspended.
According to him, the current pricing structure amounts to an exploitation of Ghanaians when compared to markets such as Nigeria, describing the situation as “plain stealing.”
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Friday, 1 August, Mr George disclosed that he has written to the National Communications Authority (NCA) to suspend the broadcasting licence of DStv should it fail to implement a price reduction.
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Minister, my fidelity is to the Ghanaian people. I have had to act in the interest of the Ghanaian people and I believe that the Ghanaian people have been fleeced and exploited for too long. I wrote back to the NCA on Monday and directed the NCA in that letter to suspend the broadcasting licence of DStv effective 7th of August 2025 if they fail to effect a reduction in their bundle prices.
The Minister also questioned the company’s justification of price hikes, which it attributed to the depreciation of the Ghana cedi:
I cannot, as Minister, seven the Ghanaian people continue to watch what can best be described as plain stealing happening to the Ghanaian people. In my letter to them, I gave them scenarios from seven markets that DStv is operating in.
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He continued:
The same content in the premium bouquet that is offered to Ghanaians for $83 equivalent is offered to Nigerians for $29 equivalent. How can anyone explain this price disparity to me? Enough of the mistreatment of the Ghanaian consumer.
He further pointed out:
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They either comply with the reduction because in Nigeria, in the same time frame that they say the Ghanaian cedi has depreciated by 240%, the Nigerian naira has depreciated by 409%. If Nigerians are paying equivalent of $29.
The directive has since sparked mixed public reactions. As of now, DStv Ghana is yet to issue an official statement confirming whether it will reduce its prices or challenge the minister’s order.