Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, says the government is forming a multi-agency task force to tackle the cross-border piracy of DStv decoders from Nigeria.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, the Minister said the illegal importation and use of Nigerian-registered DStv decoders in Ghana has become a long-standing issue, undermining local revenue, jobs, and content production.
“This has for years deprived the state of tax revenue, transferred jobs from Ghana to Nigeria, denied unsuspecting customers good customer service, and is actively working towards the decline of Ghanaian local content creation,” Mr George said.
The announcement follows the findings of a stakeholder committee set up to review DStv’s pricing and operations in Ghana. The committee flagged decoder piracy as a major concern.
To address the issue, a new working group will be formed, drawing members from several key institutions, including the Ministry of Communication, the National Communications Authority (NCA), the Cyber Security Authority, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the Ghana Police Service. Representatives from MultiChoice Africa and MultiChoice Ghana will also be included.
Mr George said he would collaborate with the heads of these agencies to set up the task force “in due course” to confront the problem comprehensively.
The move is part of broader government efforts to regulate satellite TV services and protect the local broadcasting industry.
