Dr Bawumia unveils telecel, formerly Vodafone - Urges management to ensure excellence
The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has urged operators of telecel, formerly Vodafone telecommunication network, in the country to be ethical, transparent and ensure good corporate governance in their operations.
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He said as a key player in the industry it had a role in shaping the future of the nation’s telecommunications sector to drive development.
“Indeed, telecommunications play a pivotal role in shaping the modern society we want to build. It bridges distances, connects people and empowers communities,” Dr Bawumia said, adding that it was also central in digitalising government deliverables and offerings.
The Vice-President who was speaking at the unveiling of the new brand — telecel — in Accra last Monday night, said “in today's fast-paced world, access to reliable and efficient communication is not just a luxury, but a necessity for socio-economic development”.
Telephony sites
Dr Bawumia said as part of efforts to promote digital inclusion, the government increased the number of rural telephony sites from 78 at the end of 2016 to 1,010 as of February 2024.
He said work was underway to build additional an 1,006 sites this year to bring the total to 2,016.
Also, “we have introduced technology neutrality which has allowed increased capacity within the industry to serve more customers using existing spectrum allocation,” the Vice-President added.
Transformation
From the introduction of mobile telephony to the expansion of broadband internet services, the country has witnessed transformation in its telecommunications landscape.
Starting in 1974 as Ghana Post and Telecommunications, the company in 1997 changed to Ghana Telecom and to Vodafone Ghana in 2009.
On the implementation of the ECOWAS free roaming services, the Vice-President said the agreement with Cote D’Ivoire in June 2023 presented the first of such arrangements, although it was adopted last year.
He further said the country had also signed an agreement with Togo to begin free roaming services between the two countries this year, and that the National Communications Authority (NCA) was also engaging Benin and The Gambia to establish similar bilateral agreements.
Dr Bawumia said those measures were key to staying ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of technology since customers always required accessible, safe, affordable and reliable networks.
“By expanding your reach and investing in infrastructure development, you are not only expanding access to communication but also creating opportunities for economic growth and social empowerment for the underprivileged,” he said.
On Mobile Money (momo) transactions, the Vice-President said it hit a record high of GH¢199.3 trillion in 2023, representing 64.3 per cent increase from the previous year.
He added that the introduction of mobile money interoperability had been beneficial, and therefore, urged telecel to strive to do more since momo was one of the surest ways to promote financial inclusion.
Transition
The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu- Ekuful, in a speech read on her behalf, explained that it became necessary for the government to ensure the seamless transition of Vodafone Ghana when it indicated its intent to exit the country’s market.
She gave the assurance that the government would continue to play its oversight role of gatekeeping to ensure adherence to standards and fair competition in the industry.
For his part, a co-founder of telecel, Moh Damush, described Ghana as a country of talents who did not need lessons in transformation to ensure better outcomes.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of telecel Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai, said the company currently had a 4G+ network reaching out to more than six million customers on mobile and mobile financial services business of three million customers.
