Nearly a decade after the launch of Ghana’s Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform, private broadcasters have yet to pay for its operational and maintenance costs—despite a phased cost-sharing policy designed at the platform’s inception in 2016.
The revelation came from the Minister for Communication, Digital Innovation and Technology, Sam George, who disclosed at a recent media forum that the government has been solely footing the bill for the national digital transmission network, raising questions about policy follow-through and fiscal responsibility.
The DTT platform, established under former Minister Edward Omane Boamah, was supposed to transition broadcasters from free access in the first year to full payment in subsequent years—50% in the second year, 75% in the third, and 100% thereafter. But according to Minister George, this phased payment policy was never fully enforced.
“An attempt to introduce fees was legally challenged by the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), and since then, the issue has lingered,” he said during the *“Broadcasting at the Crossroads”* forum held at the Alisa Hotel on Friday, September 26, 2025.
As a result, over 45 television stations continue to use the DTT infrastructure without contributing to its upkeep. The government, meanwhile, has been absorbing all operational expenses—effectively subsidising the private media sector with taxpayer money.
“The free ride bus is running out of gas, and we need to find a sustainable means of fueling the DTT bus,” the Minister remarked, stressing that the current arrangement is financially unsustainable.
With growing demand for access to the DTT platform, the government is now under pressure to expand infrastructure while also finding a viable cost-recovery model. Minister George confirmed that a stakeholder meeting will be convened soon to revisit the original cost-sharing framework and explore new funding options that will keep the platform alive without continued full government subsidy.
The move is expected to ignite a new round of discussions between the state and broadcasters, this time with an emphasis on accountability, fairness, and the long-term sustainability of the DTT ecosystem.
