Private legal practitioner Brako-Powers criticizes Communications Minister Sam George’s threat to revoke MultiChoice Ghana’s license, arguing it lacks legal basis in a free-market economy.
Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers, a private attorney, has supported Communications Minister Sam George’s demand that Multichoice, Ghana’s top satellite TV provider, lower its costs.
He has, however, voiced dissatisfaction with the Minister’s handling of the matter and the legitimacy of the company’s threat of license revocation. Mr. Brako-Powers stated that as Ghana is a free-market economy subject to regulations, the Communications Minister’s threat against the satellite television operator had no legal foundation.
“Sometimes, populism and overzealousness need to be contained and properly directed. You can’t threaten to revoke a company’s license without a basis in law. Our ministers of state must learn to consult their legal teams before taking their ideas to the public,” he said.
Due to their pricing in Ghana, MultiChoice, a South African satellite television operator, has had their license revoked by the National Communications Authority (NCA) at the direction of Communications Minister Sam George.
According to the Minister, studies revealed that the company’s prices in Ghana were far higher than those of several of its neighbors in West Africa, including Nigeria.
The corporation has been given until August 7, 2025, by the communications minister, to review its prices and take the nation’s currency performance into account, failing which it faces the possibility of having its operating license revoked.
However, according to Mr. Brako-Powers, the minister lacks the legal authority to threaten to cancel MultiChoice’s license due to its pricing policy in the nation.
“We live in a free-market economy, and prices of goods and services are determined by demand and supply. Also, some laws regulate the revocation of a company’s license, including the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775), and a company’s pricing is not one of the grounds to revoke one’s license,” the development communications expert said.
He would rather the minister engage MultiChoice’s management to find an amicable way of reducing their prices and not to be issuing “unjustified threats.”
“I am not sure we are all happy with the exorbitant prices that DSTV is charging its customers in Ghana. This is shameful and disappointing, but Sam George should know that there are rules regulating the granting and revocation of licenses under the NCA architecture. The minister has to be careful not to saddle the country with a court action,” Mr Brako-Powers cautioned.
The synthetic media and AI researcher has encouraged the Communications Minister to take a different approach to appealing to the company to reduce its process in Ghana.
