The Chamber worked with Parliament, the Presidency, MOTI and GIPC to ensure clauses and provisions with dire effects on the mobile industry and economy were amended.
Following the Chamber’s engagement with Parliament, the Presidency, Finance and Communications Ministry, OEMs, media and other global partners like GSMA and A4AI to appeal for a removal of the 20% import duty on mobile handsets, the Finance Minister, Seth Terkper announced in his presentation of the 2015 budget a reduction of 20% to 10% under CET.
The Chamber worked effectively with the NCA, MLGRD, MOC, Judiciary, etc., to harmonize Bills of Payments (BOPs) and local authority levies in accordance with Act 775. Rate Guidelines were adopted through 2014 and beyond, and the Chamber continues to engage MLGRD, DCE’s on isolated cases of resistance to foster alignment and safeguard members’ interests.
The Chamber began its yearly consolidation of the industry’s Total Tax Contributions to government in an effort to minimize the state’s appetite for new taxes and spur investment.
The Chamber commemorated its 5th Anniversary with a market storm at the Kaneshie market in Accra. The occasion was used to educate subscribers about mobile money, the importance of telecom towers and SIM registration.
The Chamber facilitated industry inputs towards the launch of the EMI Guidelines and ultimately the passing into law the Payment Systems and Services Act 2019 (Act 987).
The Chamber reviewed the decade-old Road Reservation Manual, under the ambit of the National Engineering Coordinating Team (NECT), to include key industry issues and ensure better efficiency in the RoW issues. The members have been provided with copies of the policy, and a date of launch is yet to be announced by the Road Agencies. NECT's revival is notable as the Chamber assumes the Chairmanship leadership position. Additionally, telecom companies now share ducts, initially originating from Pokuase and subsequently replicated along the Tema to Aflao road project, the La Beach Road project, and other upcoming initiatives. To further strengthen community involvement, the Chamber has undertaken regional sensitization workshops, engaging stakeholders in four regions: Eastern, Western, Central, and Ashanti to conscientize stakeholders to protect telecom infrastructure.
Section 3 of the CST Act (Act 754) originally provided that 6% should be charged on the use of communication services. This was amended from 6% to 9% in 2019 during the midyear budget which was presented to Parliament in July 2019. Following the Chamber’s continuous advocacy for the reduction of the tax, government announced in July 2020, a reduction in the CST rate from 9% to 5% as part of the measures to lessen the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on consumers.
The 10th Anniversary of the Chamber was launched in launched in December, 2021 under the theme: Leveraging the gains of the past decade to accelerate Ghana’s digital transformation.
Following the introduction of a levy of 1.5% on all electronic transfers, the Chamber embarked on a campaign to have the levy reduced. Government in November 2022 headed to the calls of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications and other stakeholders to reduce the rate of the levy from 1.5% to 1%.
In December 2014, the Chamber through its engagement with the NCA and other stakeholders, secured one-year extension to avert the possible decommissioning of over 500 towers. Following the continuous engagement with the NCA and other relevant stakeholders throughout the years, the Guidelines for the tower ecosystem was successfully assented to by the President of the Ghana in 2023.