Accra, Ghana, November 23, 2018//- Journalists for Business Advocacy (JBA) today paid a courtesy call on the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh at his office in Accra to congratulate him on his appointment and also discussed areas of collaboration.
In June this year, Mr Adadevoh was appointed the CEO of MTN Ghana following the elevation of Ebenezer Asante to Vice President of the MTN Group.
Addressing the JBA executive members, Mr Adadevoh assured them that the company would continue working with the association to champion on issues affecting the telecoms industry in the country.
Service quality
He used the occasion to assure customers of the telecoms company that they would continue to invest in the network to provide with quality but affordable services in the country. To this end, Mr Adadevoh said: “$300 million has been pumped into our network for the past two years”.
On the recent National Communications Authority’s GHC34 million fine slapped on all the telecom operators-MTN, Vodafone, AirtelTigo, and Glo, he said: “MTN Ghana received the fine letter two days ago”.
“So, we are planning to meet the NCA over the fine soon. We will engage the NCA to enable us get details of the fine”, Mr Adadevoh stressed.
He further noted that the issue of quality of service is not only in the purview of the telcos alone, emphasizing that; “There are also external factors which affect the quality of service”.
“We can’t control the external factors but we are trying our best to get them solved”, Mr Adadevoh added.
Good working relationship
On his part, the President of the Journalists for Business Advocacy (JBA), Suleiman Mustapha who led team to the plush MTN Ghana headquarters said: “We have good working relationship with MTN Ghana which led to the successful completion of a number projects carried out by the association on behalf of the players in the telecoms industry”.
Some of the projects he mentioned the association did advocacy on are-fibre cuts, mobile money fraud, battery theft, and MTN Ghana Foundation activities.
Fight on National Fiscal Stabilisation Levy
Mr Mustapha is hoping that the telecoms company should again collaborate with the association to embark on advocacy on the dreaded National Fiscal Stabilisation Levy (NFSL) imposed on the telecoms sector and other sectors of the Ghanaian economy.
Some of the projects he mentioned the association did advocacy on are-fibre cuts, mobile money fraud, battery theft, and MTN Ghana Foundation activities.
Mr Mustapha is hoping that the telecoms company should again collaborate with the association to embark on advocacy on the dreaded National Fiscal Stabilisation Levy (NFSL) imposed on the telecoms sector and other sectors of the Ghanaian economy in 2013.
The Akufo-Addo-led government waived some taxes in its maiden budget (2017 budget) but failed to waive to the NFSL which has outlived its purpose and it is hurting the affected businesses.
Mr Mustapha explained that; “waiving the NFSL, which is deducted before profit is declared, will go a long way to make the telecom industry robust to continue its positive contributions to the economy of Ghana”.
Although the levy was introduced with sunset clauses, it had continued and it was time it was waived, according to him.
The previous Mahama-led government introduced the NFSL on July 15, 2013 to help reduce Ghana’s growing deficit. It was pegged at five per cent of the accounting profits of specified companies and institutions.
The categories of companies selected to pay this special tax include , telecom service providers, banks, (excluding rural and community banks) non-banking financial institutions, insurance companies, breweries, inspection and valuation companies, companies providing mining support services, as well as shipping lines, maritime and airport terminals.
It was to last for 18 months, ending January, 2015, but this is November 2018 and the tax is still in force.
Meanwhile, the previous government, which introduced it, is said to have promised they were going to remove it from 2017 budget, but they lost the elections so the onus is now lies on the current government to get rid of it.
African Eye Report
