The Minority in Parliament is calling for the immediate resignation of the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation, Mr. Sam Nartey George, over his handling of the recent standoff with MultiChoice, operators of DSTV in Ghana.
The Minority accuses the Minister of allegedly misleading Ghanaians, wasting public resources, and abandoning his commitment to secure a 30 per cent reduction in DSTV subscription fees.
“We of the Minority demand that, one, the Minister render an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for the waste of the nation’s time and resources on this venture,” said Mr. Charles Owiredu, Deputy Ranking Member on the Information and Communications Committee of Parliament.
Mr. Owiredu made the remarks on Thursday during a press conference in Parliament House, Accra. “Two, we call on him to refund the funds levied on DSTV. And three, we deem him unfit to lead this strategic Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation, and therefore call on him to resign—or for His Excellency the President to relieve him of his duties,” he added.
The minister had initially pushed for a 30 per cent reduction in subscription fees but later at a media engagement noted that MultiChoice’s ongoing promotional campaign was a “generational success.” However, the Minority argued that this campaign was not a result of the minister’s negotiations but rather a standard practice across several countries.
“It’s important to note that these promotional offers are standard across several countries and are not the result of any negotiations led by the minister,” Mr. Owiredu stated.
“This is someone who, having failed to deliver on his promises, is now seeking cover behind corporate marketing strategies,” he alleged.
Mr. Owiredu, also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Abirem, criticized the minister’s conduct during committee engagements, accusing him of lacking “mental rigor” to effectively understand and communicate key issues. “The minister’s failure to grasp key issues during meetings and to communicate the actual negotiated outcomes to Ghanaians—or worse, his deliberate fabrication of what he was never able to broker—is evident,” he told the media.
In response to the controversy, MultiChoice Ghana issued a public clarification on Wednesday, October 1, stating that they fully supported the government’s announced DSTV value upgrade and apologized for a misleading FAQ published on their website.
The company has already started implementing the value upgrade, which applied to all DSTV customers, and a review committee will meet in three months to assess the impact.
GNA
