Communications minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful could face a parliamentary committee over a controversial involvement of a Chinese firm in Ghana's digital TV space.

Minority MPs on parliament's Communications Committee have asked the chairman and Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong to invite the minister, a member Ahmed Ibrahim told Joy News Monday.

Private broadcasters have kicked against government plans to engage Chinese satelite TV company StarTimes as Ghana plans to cross over to digital television broadcast.

StarTimes, according to the ministry, is expected to do 'enhancement' works on the digital terrestrial infrastructure already put in place by a Ghanaian company, K-NET.

Photo: President Akufo-Addo met the Head of StarTimes Group, Mr Pang Xinxing, during FOCAC Summit in September 2018

It is this infrastructure that will allow television broadcast to migrate from analogue to digital television which provides better images and sound.

But K-NET has indicated much of the work the Chinese firm is coming in to do has already been done or could be done by their company.

It has raised questions about the rationale behind government's plan to bring in StarTimes.

An explanation from government has been that engaging StarTimes is a condition for accessing a loan from a China-backed bank, Eximbank.

This explanation has done little to calm the nerves of some Ghanaians who see this as another worrying sign of China's imperial agenda in Africa.

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, announced China will spend as much as $60bn (£46.8bn) in investment, aid, and loans in Africa over the next three years.

In the case of Ghana, China's Sinohydro Corporation Limited would pre-finance the construction of roads, hospitals, interchanges, among others, all at the cost of $2bn in exchange for processed bauxite.

In the matter of the digital terrestrial television, "there are a lot of outstanding issues", the opposition politician Ahmed Ibrahim joined in expressing concerns raised by at least three media groups.

Photo:Member of Parliament (MP) for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim

Since the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association raised red flags last week, a media watchdog, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) as well as a media regulator, the National Media Commission have joined to kick against the plan.

The National Democratic Congress MP who is also a first Deputy Minority Chief Whip fears "the public may lose confidence in us if we don't act on this".

The NDC MP for Banda constituency in the Brong-Ahafo region said instead of granting media interviews, it is better for the minister to engage the committee which has oversight responsibility over the Communications ministry.

"When you appear before the committee of parliament is like sitting before the High court", he said to buttress the point the committee will not entertain perjury.

Ahmed Ibrahim said the Minority MPs on the committee are willing to escalate the controversy to the plenary where the entire House can demand answers from the minister.

If that happens, it would be the second time in the last three months that the minister has had to come to parliament over controversial deals. 

Communications Minister, in June 2018, mounted a defense of the controversial $89m telcom revenue monitoring contract.

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful was a member of the Communications committee when her party, the New Patriotic Party was in opposition.