Sam George has created a good name for himself in international circles and he is going to be respected for a long time to come. Showing qualities of someone born to be a diplomat, one wondered what H.E. John Dramani Mahama saw in him to put him at the head of the communication sector.
But my son, Sam George, came out to prove that he is capable of handling any sector and today, he has become a hero for making service providers to cut down cost of service by increasing the data they sell to customers.
Today, he is blowing hot air over one major service provider on the continent, MultiChoice DSTV.
This South African company, is so determined to milk Ghanaians dry, just as our colonial masters did. Let us compare cost of services it provides in Nigeria and Ghana.
In both countries, DSTV offers six packages. In cost and in provision of channels there are unfair differences when it comes to Ghana and Nigeria. While Ghanaians offered six packages, same as Nigeria, in the case of Ghana there are 1). Padi, with 40+ channels at GH¢59.00/month or $5.62/month; 2). Access, with 75+ channels including 7 HD channels at GH¢99.00/month or $9.43/month; 3).
Family, with 95+ channels including 10 HD channels at GH¢190.00/month or $18.09/month; 4). Compact, with 120+ channels including 20 HD channels at GH¢380.00/month or $36.19/month. 5). Compact Plus, with 135+ channels including 30 HD channels at GH¢570.00/month or $54.28/month and 6). Premium, with 150+ channels including 38 HD channels at GH¢865.00/month or $82.38/month.
With Nigeria, which is also offered six packages, this is what pertains. 1). Padi, with 45+ channels including 1 HD channels at ₦4,400.00/month or $2.86/month; 2). Yanga, with 85+ channels including 7 HD channels at ₦6,000.00/month or $3.90/month; 3). Confam, with 105+ channels including 10 HD channels at₦11,000.00/month or $7.15/month; 4). Compact, with 130+ channels including 20 HD channels at ₦19,000.00 or $12.36; 5). Compact Plus, with 145+ channels including 30 HD channels at ₦30,000.00 or $19.51, and 6). Premium, with 160+ channels including 38 HD channels at ₦44,500.00 or $28.94.
By comparison, Nigeria has a better deal with lower rates than Ghana. For example, with the lowest deal, the Padi, while Nigeriansare charged $2.86/month for 45+ channels including 1 HD channel, Ghanaiansare charged $5.62/month for 40+ channel, but no HD channel. And with the highest, that is Premium, while Nigerians are charged $28.94/month for 160+ channels including 38 HD channels, Ghanaians are charged $82.38/month for 150+ channels including 38 HD channels.
I am in no way condemning Nigeria for this, in fact, one thing, I will always commend Nigerians for, is their nationalistic approach towards their country, Nigeria and their people. Internationally, anything that concerns one Nigerian is the concern of all Nigerians and they have a very patriotic and sensible way of dealing with such situations.
For example, when the privately owned Nigerian airline, Air Peace, was facing problems in UK, the government of Nigeria stepped in to force the English to comport themselves. This is a nation; one should always be proud of.
Ghana is on the opposite perimeter because we take whatever is offered us, even if it is not palatable, and damn any adverse effect it will have on our country and people.
Now, with this new NDC government, exhibiting some nationalistic tendencies, and with firebrand, Sam George in government, Ghana has, at last arrived. For in the case of DSTV, what is the reason why it charges Ghanaians almost three times more than it charges Nigerians, who even receive better services?
Hon Sam Nartey George, my son, in his usual bold and patriotic self, after making Telecom service providers to increase data per cost, he came out and boldly demanded that DSTV must reduce its charges by 30% across board. Meaning Premium charges should be $57.40 or GH¢602.70. I must say, Sam George is been too economical and too lenienton the issue at stake. I would have demanded 60% reduction across board, so that those receiving Premium services will pay $32.95/month or GH¢345.98.
What was DSTV’s response? According its Ghanaian managing director, Mr. Alex Okyere,“It is not tenable to reduce the DStv subscription fees in the manner proposed by the minister,” And all that was in the statement, can be summed up as the company saying, even though the cedi has appreciated 40% to the dollar, it is very committed to keeping prices as low as possible in Ghana so that it does not compromise service quality, therefore no demand for reduction of prices can be justified.
I cannot believe this. Is DSTV saying the quality of service it provides Ghana is the best in the whole of Africa? Is loading 70% of its package with movies and programmes, majority of Ghanaians do not prefer, what it calls quality service? Is charging monthly for the packages whether the subscriber had used up the data or not, what it calls quality service? It’s been quite a while since I subscribed to DSTV, so may I ask whether the company has solved the problem of poor reception during thunderstorms.
MTN is another South Africa company and here if one pays for broadband services, of let us say GH¢865.00, he will receive 584.20 GB of data and this has no expiry date. If he uses the data for eight hours a day, it could last him over two months. This is what good service is about.
And in all this, it is very sad that a full-blooded Ghanaian who heads DSTV Ghana could not negotiate with the mother company in South Africa to beat down the high cost of services for his countrymen and women. He is out there justifying the high prices per package with words only he understands. On whose side is he on? Ghana or DSTV? He seems not to be bothered about how much Ghanaians are being reaped off, so long as he will continue receiving good salary. In this day and age, we still have people who continue to sell out our country and people to the White Man, as in the colonial era. May God blessed this homeland of ours, called Ghana.
Today, the cedi to dollar is $1.00 to GH¢10.50 and so if DSTV is saying even with the cedi appreciation, it will not reduce the price/package, then what will happen, if against all odds the cedi depreciates to GH¢20.00 to $1.00, which will mean GH¢865.00 will be $43.25, will DSTV increase the cost of service? Again, assuming that the cedi appreciated to GH¢5.00 to $1.00, which will mean GH¢865.00 will be $173.00, will DSTV reduce its cost of service or will it be business as usual?
Sam George educated Ghanaians on how much DSTV charges in dollars, for each of the six packages in six African countries. From Premium package to Padi/Basic, the countries are Nigeria ($29.00; $19.60; 12.40; $4.80; $2.70 and $1.95); Liberia ($61.00; $36.00; $23.00; $13.00; $8.00 and $6.36); Angola ($33.00; $27.00; $18.00; $11.00; $6.00 and $3.00); Botswana ($61.00; $43.00; $33.00; $21.00; $10.00 and $6.00); Eswatini ($52.00; $35.00; $27.00; $19.00; $9.00 and $4.00) and South Africa ($51.00; $34.00; $25.80; $18.10; 7.60 and $1.60).
With this, if as I suggested a 60% reduction of cost of all packages, would not be possible, then I will suggest, Ghanaians are made to pay the average of the total charges on the six African countries, mentioned above.
With this, to the Ghanaian DSTV subscriber, Premium should cost, $47.83; Compact Plus, $32.43; Compact, $23.20; Family, $14.48; Access, $7.22 and Padi, $3.82.
And during the negotiations, DSTV must give us good reasons why Nigeria is paying such lower rates per packages, than Ghana. After all, better services are provided Nigerians than are provided Ghanaians. And one thing, there should be no expiry date on the subscription.
I will end by thanking Sam George for this bold initiative to get the best and the most affordable for all subscribers of DSTV in Ghana. If this South African company, is still adamant, then its services must be suspended. I will support that.
All Ghanaians must stand behind Hon. Minister Sam Nartey George.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
