Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has announced decisive measures to tackle the persistent issue of cross-border piracy of DStv decoders smuggled into Ghana from Nigeria.
At a press briefing on Monday, September 29, 2025, the Minister revealed that a multi-agency working group will be established to clamp down on the illegal practice, which has long undermined Ghana’s tax revenue and weakened local content investment.
According to him, the stakeholder committee tasked with reviewing DStv’s pricing and operations in Ghana identified decoder piracy as a major concern. “You can expect your Ghanaian government to fix and use tax revenue for social infrastructure; meanwhile, you’re paying taxes to a foreign government,” he stressed.
Sam George disclosed alarming statistics: “For every one legitimate DStv box in Ghana, we have so far deactivated five from Nigeria. That should give you concern as a citizen.”
He did not mince words, adding, “If this doesn’t worry you, then your citizenship should be revoked. Because any true Ghanaian will ask themselves what kind of damage we’re doing to our own country.”
The Minister assured that the government, in collaboration with MultiChoice, will intensify enforcement to eliminate the so-called “ghost boxes.” “We will come after every ghost box, we will deactivate them, and we will block them. Because now with the new pricing, you really have no excuse. Buy a Ghanaian box or reconnect your Ghanaian box.”
He further urged citizens to show patriotism by reconnecting their Ghanaian decoders beginning October 1, noting that the revenue generated in Ghana directly supports the country’s film and creative industries.
DSTV and MultiChoice have a mandate to invest in local content production, and they fulfill this mandate using revenue generated within the country. We complain that our Ghanaian movie industry or local content sector is declining, while our neighbors in Nigeria are experiencing growth. This is because, for every one Ghanaian contribution to the Ghanaian film industry, five Ghanaians contribute to the Nigerian industry.
In his closing remarks, Sam George described the administration as a “reset government” determined to protect Ghana’s interests. “We want to fix our own country. It won’t be fixed by Nigerians, Kenyans or South Africans. It’ll be fixed by us as Ghanaians. So let’s reset our Nigerian decoder boxes and reconnect the Ghanaian decoder boxes.”
