Chairperson of the MultiChoice Group Board of Directors, Imtiaz Patel, has revealed that within its past three decades of operations in the country, the multinational entity has invested about US$1.3billion into the local economy; translating into an annual US$44million contribution to gross domestic product (GDP).
The firm also continues to make other tax and regulatory payments amounting to US$15.8million yearly, with an additional US$22million in content expenditure.
In the area of job creation, establishing Akwaaba Magic on the DSTV network alone, he said, has opened up the market and led to creating about 1,500 employment opportunities through its commissioning and licencing value chain.
Additionally, the brand’s footprints rake-in an annual US$2.7m revenue to the local creative arts industry. Overall, over 4,000 people are engaged in the value chain with a much broader beneficiary basis. The MultiChoice spread comprises five branches nationwide, 16 mega-dealers, 87 dealer offices, 1,344 contractors, 980 installers and 541 direct sales persons, among others.
“We will continue to invest in the company, expand our programming and introduce new services to ensure that we remain at the industry’s forefront, serving Ghana and the African continent with the best content. We will continue to innovate, evolve and meet the needs of customers.
“We are grateful for the support and collaboration from government, industry players; the Ministries of Communication and Information; Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and the people of Ghana for their support and trust in our services,” he said.
The board chair further mentioned that the MultiChoice Academy initiative is in its fourth year and has an instrumental role in sharpening the skills and technical manpower of the film and television sector. “The Ghanaian students in this academy are doing exceptionally well.”
He made this revelation at the 30th anniversary launch of Multichoice Ghana, held at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra.
Multichoice @30
Group Chairperson-MultiChoice Ghana, Richard Darko, stated that the past 30 years have been a period of consistent investment for development, transformation and growth of the industry.
From a small business office, he said, today MultiChoice Ghana operates from five offices including a state-of-the-art head office and studio in Accra.
He mentioned that after DSTV became a household name, GO-TV was also introduced to the lower-paid who could not afford it; and now Showmax is on for the movie-loving generation.
“It has been 30 years of producing world-class content, and we have been at the forefront of television development and growth in Ghana. MultiChoice Ghana has been at the forefront of revolutionising the television industry in the country, and this was achieved through constant commitment to delivering world-class quality.
“We strive to offer our customers refreshing content ranging from education, entertainment and excitement. We remain committed to delivering value to our customers and contributing to the country’s growth and development,” he said.
On his part, Managing Director-MultiChoice Ghana Alex Okyere said: “Our strategy is to continuously provide customers with more of their favourite content, delivering unmatched value. We continue to use our resources, technology and content to develop our human capital and positively transform the creative and television sectors”.
Deputy Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, commended MultiChoice Ghana for the revolutionary role it has played in the country’s television industry, and urged them to continue providing innovative local content as well as shifting attention to technical capacity building of the film and art industry players.
CSR Initiatives and COVID-19 Support
Mr. Darko stressed that the company has embarked on several corporate social responsibility initiatives to build the capacity of industry players and develop talents. Again, during the COVID-19 pandemic the company collaborated with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Ministry of Education (MoE) to develop electronic-learning content for students during the lockdown period.
MultiChoice also donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to several health institutions across some selected regions in the country.