Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin A. Quashie, has raised concerns that Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George’s approach in the standoff with satellite television giant MultiChoice could unsettle investor confidence at a time when the country is seeking to attract foreign capital.
Speaking exclusively to JoyNews’ Blessed Sogah, Ghana’s envoy in Pretoria admitted that the minister’s approach had put diplomats in a tight corner as they try to market Ghana as a safe and attractive destination for investment.
“You see, what makes it difficult for some of us as diplomats is that we’ve just gone through orientation, and we’ve been given KPIs. The KPIs we need to achieve them because there’s a reset agenda that has to do with diplomacy as well, and I believe that ambassadors are supposed to go out there, get people to come and invest in the country and all of that. So when it happens, like, it becomes a bit challenging,” he explained.
Mr Quashie noted that South African investors and multinationals could easily misinterpret the standoff as a trade dispute.
“You have an election to win, you have a grassroots or base to satisfy, and then you have investors also who would bring in the cash very well. So that is where we need to, again, go into this with diplomacy,” he said.
The Ambassador’s comment comes at a time when the minister has resolved to shut down DStv over a price war.
In a strongly worded social media post on Friday night, Samuel George threatened to close MultiChoice Ghana by Saturday, September 6, unless the company immediately slashes its subscription fees, which he described as exploitative.
“Let me be clear, I have no intention to continue tolerating the disrespect to Ghanaians by DStv. If they have changed their position, then we simply would enforce the regulatory action. No company is above the law,” the minister declared in his post.
The ultimatum has sharpened fears of a regulatory clash that could have wide commercial and diplomatic repercussions.
MultiChoice, operators of DStv and GOtv, is one of the largest South African businesses in Ghana.
Its operations are seen as a bellwether for other investors from the continent’s most industrialised economy.
Already, memories linger of Shoprite’s sudden exit from Ghana in 2021, which cost hundreds of jobs and sent shockwaves through the business community.
The diplomat disclosed that his office had already started receiving calls from South African business circles worried about whether Ghana was sliding into a “trade war”.
“You see, at the end of the day, when we are fighting and we make it look – now I’m hearing people call and say you are fighting. I have told them that there’s no war. We are not at war with them. We are not fighting with them. South Africa is a big economy, whether we like it or not,” he said.
On MultiChoice’s position, the envoy suggested the company was not against tariff reductions but wanted more time.
“Multi Choice’s opinion is about the timeline within which the minister is giving. Multi Choice is not saying, ‘We are not going to reduce,’ but they are asking for an extended timeline. The minister says ‘no’, we are doing it within this period of time. And I think this will only be solved in the boardroom. This will only be solved between the two parties,” Mr Quashie stated.
He drew parallels with the past, recalling how Shoprite’s exit was partly blamed on pressure from government policies that the company felt undermined its operations.
“And that exit, that Shoprite did in this country, has affected a lot of people. There were people that were working there – Ghanaians, of course,” he lamented.
Despite the tensions, the High Commissioner expressed optimism that diplomacy would prevail.
“Well, of course, South Africa will hit back. There will not be any retaliatory measures in this. I see a solution within the days to come. I see a solution. Like I said, I’m privy to information. The Foreign Affairs Minister has spoken to his counterpart from South Africa. We’ll get a solution,” he assured.
For now, the country stands at a crossroads: a government minister vowing to confront what he sees as corporate exploitation and a diplomat cautioning that the method of confrontation could ripple across boardrooms from Johannesburg to Accra.
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