StarTimes deal dangerous to local media industry – MFWA

The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) Sulemana Braimah has charged Ghanaians to reject the Communications Ministry ‘sdeal with StarTimes.

The deal, according to him, if allowed to be executed will annihilate the local media industry.

“The StarTimes affair is very dangerous for the survival of our local media industry. Let’s oppose it with full force,” wrote Braimah Sunday on his Facebook wall.

The Chinese company has secured a deal with government that will see it extend satellite TV to over 300 villages across the country.

The communications ministry believes the move will help Ghanaians in rural communities to become alert on national issues and be involved in development since they have will access to content about national projects.

The Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) however warned that the move is a coverup by the Chinese firm to push them out of business and control the national space.

“The Agenda of StarTimes is not only aimed at profit or the indoctrination of Chinese culture (names, language, food, etc.) and programmes but a larger mandate to take over the control of the broadcast space in strategic African countries including Ghana, which is crucial for the China game.

“Whereas today, China does not allow foreign ownership of media and for that matter, will not allow the African broadcast media the space to trade our African channels in their country. Why then should African states give our broadcast space in the fashion as we are experiencing at the moment,” said GIBA.



The Communication Ministry in response, however, dismissed the claims by GIBA reiterating that Ghana’s broadcasting space is not being handed over to StarTimes as is being perceived by some Ghanaians.