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The Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has announced that MultiChoice Ghana has finally agreed to reduce DStv subscription fees. According to the Minister, the company has written to the Ministry for further discussions on the reduction plan.
“MultiChoice has finally agreed to reduce their prices; now they want us to discuss the level of reduction,” the Minister said during a press conference in Accra on Friday, September 5. This development comes just 48 hours before the deadline the government gave to MultiChoice to comply with the order to reduce prices.
The Minister had previously issued a September 6 deadline to suspend the license of MultiChoice Ghana should they fail to reduce subscription prices. Speaking on the sidelines of the Digital Africa Summit in Accra, Sam George stressed that the government is committed to ensuring Ghanaian consumers get fair prices.
“As of now, they have until September 6. If there is no resolution, we will shut down the operations of MultiChoice. No company or corporation is more powerful than the collective interest of the Ghanaian people,” he said.
The Ministry had imposed a daily fine of GHC10,000 on MultiChoice for failing to submit critical pricing data. As of Wednesday, September 3, the company owed about GHC150,000 in accumulated penalties.
The Minister had requested MultiChoice Ghana to reduce its DStv subscription fees by 30% due to the appreciation of the Cedi against the dollar and other trading currencies. However, MultiChoice initially refused to reduce prices, citing that the Cedi’s depreciation over the past eight years made the request unfeasible.
The company had also expressed concern over the Minister’s remarks, stating that it had continually engaged in open and good-faith discussions with the Minister and the National Communications Authority (NCA) to address pricing concerns. MultiChoice had submitted a proposal to the Minister and the NCA outlining an alternative path forward.
With the latest development, the government and MultiChoice will engage in further discussions to determine the level of price reduction.
