Ghana fines DStv GHC 10K daily over pricing data snub

Dia dhuit,

Victoria from Techpoint here,

Here’s what I’ve got for you today:

DStv faces daily GHC 10,000 penalty in Ghana
The CEO who bet on influencers before it was cool
SEC slams Lagos firm in $200k Tingo penalty

DStv faces daily GHC 10,000 penalty in Ghana

Remember this? DStv licence in Ghana at risk over pricing tensions

Here’s what happened if you don’t recall: Ghana’s government gave DStv a firm deadline to cut its subscription fees by 30% by Thursday, August 7, 2025, or risk losing its broadcasting licence. Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George said the National Communications Authority had been directed to start suspension proceedings right away if DStv doesn’t comply.

What’s new? Ghana’s Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations has started slapping MultiChoice Ghana with a daily fine of GHC 10,000 for failing to submit detailed subscription pricing data. The sanction took effect on Thursday, 14 August 2025.

Sector Minister Samuel Nartey George confirmed the move after a meeting with DSTV executives at the Ministry. He said the pay-TV provider had been given extra time, until August 11, to turn in the information, but still missed the deadline.

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The Ministry had asked DStv to provide a breakdown of bouquet prices, tax components, and comparisons with at least six other African countries. According to George, the information is needed to hold a fair discussion on making DStv subscriptions more affordable for Ghanaian households.

“I agreed to wait until Monday rather than starting charges immediately,” the Minister explained. “But as of today’s meeting, the regulator has confirmed the information still hasn’t come through. That makes meaningful engagement impossible.”

George warned that the fines will keep running until the full data is received. He also reminded DStv that under the Electronic Communications Act, the Ministry can freeze accounts or take further action if necessary.

Meanwhile, the Ministry has set a deadline of September 6 for DStv to commit to a price reduction. If no agreement is reached by then, the company could risk losing its operating licence in Ghana.

The CEO who bet on influencers before it was cool

When Olufemi Oguntamu started Penzaarville back in 2015, he was just another digital marketer connecting brands to influencers. Ten years later, he’s the CEO of a media and entertainment company that manages some of Nigeria’s biggest creators, from Broda Shaggi to Layi Wasabi, Diary of a Naija Girl, Lasisi Elenu, Tomike Adeoye, and even the African Dentist.

But Penzaarville didn’t start as a talent management firm. In the early days, Oguntamu’s agency worked with brands like Google, Wema Bank, Coldstone, and Taxify (now Bolt), helping them plug into Nigeria’s rising influencer economy. It was here he spotted a problem: most creators had no real structure, just rate cards and one-off deals.

He realised there was more to building influence than just brand partnerships. “There’s the business angle, diversification, and then evolving to other markets,” he told Techpoint Africa. That insight sparked Penzaarville’s evolution into talent management.

The transition wasn’t easy. Oguntamu’s first attempt at managing talent was with a friend, and it ended badly — hidden jobs, payment disputes, constant clashes. Another partnership also fell through. “It was messy, and I swore not to work with creatives again,” he admitted.

But two years later, he gave it another shot. His first formal contract was with MC Lively, followed by Broda Shaggi. From there, things clicked. Penzaarville built proper systems, hired account managers, and formalised its financial structures.

Now, with a roster that includes some of Nigeria’s most bankable creators, Oguntamu says the lesson is clear: online influence is powerful, but turning it into a sustainable business takes structure, patience, and vision. For more on how he did it, read Delight’s latest on Techpoint Africa.

SEC slams Lagos firm in $200k Tingo penalty

Last week, the United States’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) came down hard on Nigerian auditor, Olayinka Oyebola, and his Lagos-based firm for their role in Tingo Group, per a SEC filing. A New York federal court has fined both Oyebola and his firm $100,000 each and banned them from auditing US public companies.

Tingo, once a Nasdaq-listed company fronted by Dozy Mmobuosi, sold investors the dream of using fintech to transform African agriculture. But in 2023, the SEC revealed it was all smoke and mirrors. Tingo claimed hundreds of millions in cash reserves, but investigators later found the company had just $50 left in its accounts.

Oyebola and his firm, according to the SEC, played a key role in the cover-up. Investigators say he knowingly failed to act when fake audit reports bearing his signature were circulated, and even misled subsequent auditors. Instead of exposing the fraud, the SEC alleges, Oyebola helped keep it alive.

The penalties handed down on August 11, 2025, don’t just include the $200,000 fine. Oyebola and his firm are also permanently barred from violating US securities laws and suspended from practising before the SEC. In plain terms: they’re locked out of auditing any US-listed company for at least six years.

This is another chapter in the Tingo saga, which has already seen founder Dozy Mmobuosi and his entities fined over $250 million earlier this year and barred from the US securities industry. The collapse, first flagged by short-seller Hindenburg Research, raised serious questions about how auditors missed — or ignored — glaring red flags.

For the SEC, the case sends a broader message: auditors who enable financial fraud, whether in Nigeria or New York, won’t escape accountability. Or as one SEC official put it, Oyebola “violated the public trust” and will be remembered not for what he uncovered but for what he helped hide.

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