Dormaa-Ahenkro (Bono), Sept. 11, GNA-Mr Reindolph Afrifa-Oware, the Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs of the National Tenants Union of Ghana has called for market-conscious leadership in the nation’s communications sector.
His call comes in the wake of the tensions between the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation and MultiChoice Ghana, operators of the DStv.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Dormaa-Ahenkro, Mr Afrifa-Oware criticized the Mr Samuel Nartey George, the sector minister for “his threats to shut down the DStv” for the company’s refusal to reduce its subscription fees, describing the minister threat as “regulatory overreach”.
“Shutting down DStv over its refusal to reduce subscription fees by 30 percent lacks legal grounds and is economically irrational”, he stated, explaining that the nation was not under any price control regime.
Mr Afrifa-Oware added: “That makes it difficult to compel a private entity to slash its prices without addressing the cost structures that drive those prices. In fact, that’s not regulation, but coercion”.
He warned that such threats from the sector minister undermined investor confidence and could deter foreign direct investment into the communication sector that thrived on innovation and competition.
“This kind of populist posturing may win headlines, but it sends the wrong signals to the international business community”, Mr Afrifa-Oware stated, saying “we need leadership that understands the dynamics of open markets, and not one that weaponizes authority”.
He called for strategic focus on digital transformation, broadband expansion, and support for local tech startups, urging the minister to continue with the legacies of his predecessor by building fiber optics networks, training girls in ICT, and creating a climate where innovation could flourish.
Mr Afrifa-Oware emphasized that “if affordability is the goal, the solution lies in fostering competition, reducing operational barriers, and incentivizing new market entrants, not in threatening existing players”.
He said: “We should be talking about rural connectivity, cybersecurity, and digital literacy. These are the real issues affecting millions of Ghanaians and not subscription fees on premium TV”.
Mr Afrifa-Oware urged the sector minister concentrate on building trust, inspire confidence, principled, forward-thinking leadership and created enabling environment for the sector to thrive, saying “the debate over DStv pricing has broader conversations and implications about regulatory ethics, market freedom, and the future of Ghana’s digital economy”.
GNA
Edited by Dennis Peprah/Kenneth Odeng Adade