A Technology Policy Analyst and Vice President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Selorm Branttie has accused Ghana’s Communications and Digitization Minister, Ursula Owusu Ekuful of foiling Ghana’s digital transformation drive.

Mr Branttie began his frustrations at the country’s failure to achieve sustainable digital transformation and development by recounting a myriad of issues plaguing the telecommunications sector and further accused the Communications and Digitization Minister of what he described as mismanagement, incompetence, and selfish leadership under her stewardship.

“Inept leadership and over-milking the telcos is hurting our digital transformation because those at the helm don’t have a developmental agenda but a selfish one. Such selfish leadership costs us all. I can’t imagine the number of people who have lost their jobs and other critical businesses just because of what we have experienced over the past 6 days”
Selorm Branttie

At the forefront of Mr Branttie’s concerns is the issue of SIM portability, a fundamental service that according to him uses to allow consumers to switch network providers while retaining their mobile numbers.

Mr Branttie lamented the apparent breakdown in the functionality of SIM portability, attributing it to undisclosed reasons, which according to him has left consumers in a state of bewilderment and frustration.

Furthermore, the Technology Policy Analyst pointed to the exorbitant costs associated with 4G spectrum auctions, alleging that the pricing strategy effectively monopolized the market, favoring only major players like MTN and stifling competition.

This, Mr Branttie argued, has hindered the country’s progress towards faster and more accessible internet services.

Selorm Branttie, Technology Policy Analyst, and Vice President IMANI Africa

Ghana Loses $1.5 Million A Month

Moreover, the Vice President of IMAN Centre for Policy and Education accused the Minister for Communications and Digitization, Ursula Owusu Ekuful of endorsing a company purportedly tasked with monitoring telecom fraud, labeling the supposed monitoring efforts as a “farce”.

Mr Branttie, while describing the transmitted data as “meaningless spreadsheets” exchanged over insecure channels, potentially compromising user privacy and breaching cybersecurity protocols, also accused Ursula Owusu of allowing the company to extract a staggering $1.5 million monthly, totaling an astronomical $108 million since 2018 from the country.

“Do you know that Her Ladyship, the chief bully of communications in Ghana [ Ursula], has sanctioned a company to collect $1.5 million a month [ Since 2018] for sending a useless spreadsheet to the hapless NCA in the name of fraud monitoring, knowing that this spreadsheet is literally as meaningless as reading cuneform after learning the Roman alphabets?”
Selorm Branttie

In addition, Mr Branttie accused the Minister of Communications and Digitization of implementing punitive measures against certain telecom operators, including the telecommunications giant, MTN, under what he described as the guise of promoting competition.

According to Mr Branttie, the measures that were implemented by the Communications and Digitization Minister, including inflated data costs, were ultimately detrimental to consumers and the broader digital transformation agenda in the country.

The Technology Policy Analyst and Vice President for IMANI Centre for Policy and Education concluded his remarks by calling for accountability and transparency in Ghana’s telecommunications sector.

He urged for a shift away from what he perceived as self-serving leadership towards a more development-oriented approach and further warned against the imposition of additional taxes on telecommunications in the country.

He stressed that any imposition of additional taxes on telecommunications in the country would only exacerbate the burden on citizens already reeling from the consequences of what he described as inept governance.