Ghana’s Ministry of Communications, digital Technologies and Innovations has opened discussions with broadcasters and industry stakeholders on a new pricing model for channel carriage on the country’s Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform.
The talks come as government seeks to address the long-running financial challenges facing the national digital broadcasting network, which Ghana adopted in 2015 as part of the International Telecommunication Union’s global digital migration programme.
Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George said the DTT platform had operated for years without achieving sustainable cost recovery, making financial reforms necessary to maintain the service.
Speaking during a stakeholder engagement session, George said the government was considering the introduction of user fees to support the platform’s operations, while insisting that consultations with broadcasters would remain open and collaborative.
“The DTT platform is not yet profit-making and should not be treated as a revenue-generating asset at this stage,” George said.
He described the network as critical national infrastructure that required support from both government and industry stakeholders to remain operational.
George also said government would establish clearer policy positions on shared infrastructure management and cost obligations as part of efforts to safeguard the long-term sustainability of the broadcasting sector.
Broadcasters attending the engagement supported efforts to stabilise the DTT platform but warned against imposing pricing structures without adequate industry consultation.
Stakeholders called for greater transparency in the process and urged government to ensure that any final pricing framework reflected the operational realities facing broadcasters.
The consultations form part of broader regulatory efforts by the Ghanaian government to address operational challenges within the country’s digital broadcasting sector and improve the long-term viability of the DTT platform.
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