While the Minister for Communications, Samuel Nartey George, is fighting for a better deal for Ghanaians in DSTv pricing, it is emerging that the impasse is a threat to achieving the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) outlined for the country’s envoys.
For the first time, the government has formally introduced KPIs to measure the performance of its ambassadors, high commissioners, and other foreign envoys.
Key among them is to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) and also improve Ghana’s trade with its assigned countries. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that envoys are expected to increase trade volumes between 10% to 25% annually.
With these KPIs, when Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quarshie, sat through his diplomatic orientation, he left with a clear mandate to bring in investment, deepen trade, and reset Ghana’s foreign relations with an economic edge.
However, just weeks into his role, Quarshie admits that the ongoing row between MultiChoice and Ghanaian authorities over DSTv pricing risks complicating those key performance indicators.
Diplomacy Meets Domestic Policy
At the heart of the row is Communications Minister, Samuel Nartey George’s insistence on regulatory compliance, clashing with MultiChoice over subscription pricing. Sam George’s fiery comments about shutting down DSTv operations escalated the matter, turning what could have been a quiet negotiation into a public dispute.
For diplomats like Benjamin Quarshie, this shift from regulatory enforcement to public spectacle is more than a minor inconvenience. It tests Ghana’s ability to balance consumer protection at home with investor confidence abroad.
According to the newly appointed High Commissioner to South Africa, the current tensions make the new KPIs very challenging to achieve.
“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 that, it becomes a bit challenging,” he candidly remarked in an interview with The High Street Journal.
Navigating the Reset Agenda
The “reset agenda” outlined for Ghana’s envoys emphasizes economic diplomacy, shifting foreign missions from ceremonial representation to engines of trade, tourism, and investment attraction.
South Africa, where MultiChoice is headquartered, is a major trade and investment partner for Ghana. A prolonged standoff could signal instability to prospective investors, undermining the very reset agenda that Ghana’s foreign policy is now centered on.
For the diplomat, any public corporate spat with a South African giant like MultiChoice risks muddying the waters for envoys tasked with presenting Ghana as a reliable, investor-friendly destination.
A Call for Balance
Quarshie believes the solution lies in striking the right balance by ensuring regulators do their work without derailing Ghana’s diplomatic goals.
As negotiations move into the boardroom, all eyes will be on how quickly the government can de-escalate tensions.
For Ghana’s new envoys like Quarshie, the conversations go beyond just TV subscriptions. It is also about creating an enabling environment to enable them to attract foreign investors and increase the trade volumes of Ghana.
