Industry News

The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, has said that the company is intensifying its efforts to get customers registered as the SIM registration exercise draws to a close at the end of July 2022.

Speaking at the 2022 MTN Media and Stakeholder Fora in both Accra and Kumasi, Mr Adadevoh revealed that as at May 2022, 16.5 million customers had linked their Ghana cards to their SIM numbers, representing 58% of the customer base with 10.2 million completing the registration exercise representing 39% of the Customer base.

“More work needs to be done and for the next five weeks, we are ramping up efforts to get more customers to register their SIM cards to continue to stay connected. I encourage all our customers to go and get the registrations done fully”, he said.

He mentioned that MTN Ghana had rolled out several initiatives to ramp up efforts in the next five weeks. The initiatives include institutional activations, community activations, town/market storms, blitz activations, bus terminal activation and door-to-door activations.

Mr. Adadevoh indicated that, so far, over 6,700 institutional activations had been completed. Registration Points (RPs) are expected to increase to 7,000 including MTN Branches, Connect Stores, Field Teams and External Agents.

MTN Ghana was also engaging the National Identification Authority to facilitate the registration of customers.

In October 2021, the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD) launched a nationwide SIM Card Registration Exercise.

The exercise which had an initial deadline of March 31, 2022, was extended to July 31, 2022.

The exercise is expected to develop and build a comprehensive SIM database, curb fraudulent activities and secure SIM Card based transactions, and get more accurate data to regulate the industry better.

Source: MyJoyOnline

Vodafone’s mobile financial service, Vodafone Cash, has introduced a unique credit option called ‘Vodafone Cash Overdraft.’

This feature enables customers to seamlessly borrow money to complete specific transactions without experiencing a decline due to insufficient funds.

This new service offers Vodafone customers much more convenience while purchasing a bundle, paying bills, and sending money across all networks, as it eliminates the abrupt drop customers experience during a transaction because of inadequate funds.

Commenting on the new service, David Umoh, Director of Consumer Business Unit at Vodafone Ghana, said:

“Innovation is one of our fundamental tenets as a technology organisation. This is why we continue designing products and services that create customer value. Vodafone Cash Overdraft is no different. The service aims to provide customers with instant cash to perform their important daily transactions.

“I am confident that this new service will provide customers with convenience and improve financial inclusion in the country. I urge all Vodafone customers to take advantage of this new offer to enjoy enhanced financial services.”

The 30-day credit service, which is underwritten by Consolidated Bank Ghana, has a 0.23% daily interest and has been provisioned to deduct from customers’ Vodafone Cash wallets when they load up their accounts.

Since its inception, Vodafone has been focused on helping liberalise the mobile money platform to embrace all and sundry.

In line with this objective, Vodafone Cash has been proactive in the introduction of innovative and industry-first initiatives and campaigns to promote financial inclusion.

These include the complete waiver of charges on money transferred to any network via Vodafone Cash. This service has brought a great deal of relief to Ghanaians following the introduction of e-levy.

Source: MyJoyOnline

Director, Network Service Operations and Enterprise at Airtel Tigo has described as a national security threat, nationwide theft of equipment and telecom materials of Telecommunication companies. He added that the menace has the potential to plunge the country into chaos.

Mr. Stephen Zoroaster’s warning comes as a Kumasi Circuit Court granted bail to two persons, accused of posing as engineers of the company with the intention to steal equipment at a cell site at Atimatim, a suburb of Kumasi.

AirtelTigo has recorded 68 of such theft cases across the country in the last 2-years.

“Since August, 2020, we have had 68 theft cases where they go and they scatter everything; sometimes everything in our cabinet,” Mr. Zoroaster said.

Mobile telephony firms continue to reel under the negative impact of equipment and material thefts at their cell sites.

“We need to replace all the equipment stolen and that takes money. Sometimes, they need to be manufactured and all these take time,” he said.

“Imagine the impacts on the people whilst these services are down. We are providing AirtelTigo money. As a service, we are providing voice service; we are providing enterprise services to businesses. When these theft cases happen, all the businesses, all the people within the specific area where the theft impacted, all the services go down. Sometimes it takes days and even week to get the services restored,” Mr. Zoroaster bemoaned.

The suspects
Felix Dugan Apprey and his accomplice, identified only as Annor, posed as engineers of AirtelTigo, climbed the company’s mast and succeeded in allegedly removing a Radio Transceiver equipment at the cell site at Atimatim in the Ashanti region on April 20, 2022. Some workers of the firm blew the alarm leading to their arrest.

The duo made their second appearance before a Kumasi Circuit Court on Thursday and were granted bail in the sum of GHC200,000 with two sureties to be justified.

The Court asked Police prosecutors to furnish defense counsel with all disclosures and witness statements to set the stage for a Case Management Conference. Mr. Stephen Zoroaster bemoaned the frequency of such attacks.

“The impact is on the economy; the impact is on national security due to the activities of these unscrupulous Ghanaians.” Hearing resumes on July 12, 2022.

Source: Ohemeng Tawiah(MyJoyOnline)

Banks and telecommunications companies have commissioned separate assessments into the potential impact of the eCedi on their operations, particularly the mobile money services (MOMO).
The outcomes are to enable the two major players to strategize how to maximize the gains and minimize the challenges that the digital cedi could pose to their businesses.

The Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber (GTC), Dr Ken Ashigbey and the Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB), John Awuah, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in separate interviews last week.

MOMO angle
Dr Ashigbey and Mr Awuah said the assessments would focus mainly on the potential impact of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) on MOMO to both the banks and the telcos, as well as the possible effects of the eCedi on cash management among lenders.

They said the studies would also seek to increase the knowledge of the two sectors on the ecosystem and the general operational structure of the eCedi to help prepare members to participate fully in the rollout.

The two CEOs of the umbrella groups added that the outcomes of the assessments would inform the approach that banks and telcos should adopt in the lead up to the rollout of the eCedi.

Pilot phase
Dr Ashigbey and Mr Awuah were speaking to the paper after information emerged that the BoG was piloting the eCedi.

The Governor of the BoG, Dr Ernest Addison, said on May 30 that selected consumers at Sefwi Asafo, a farming community in the Western North Region, had started using the country’s digital currency to purchase goods and services, including food.

Dr Addison said the users, mostly inhabitants, were the privileged few chosen to pilot the eCedi that the central bank had been betting big on to help expand financial inclusion and drive up digitalization.

Participation
The CEO of the GTC said the chamber was aware of the pilot process, with Vodafone being the telco among the participating institutions.

“We have had some engagements with the regulator on the entire thing, including the pilot.

“With any new technology, there are positives and negatives and that is what we are trying to understand more,” Dr Ashigbey said.

“I am trying to get my members to look into the whole concept and see what it holds for us. Vodafone too will share their experiences for us to see what to improve upon,” he said. He added that while the eCedi presented opportunities to the telcos, it also presented challenges, hence the need for a comprehensive study into how it could affect the telecom industry.

On the potential impact of the eCedi on MOMO, the CEO of the GTC said it was too early to say.

“That is why we want to study it and see. The eCedi can have an effect on MOMO operations but there are ways that it can be deployed for MOMO to benefit, especially in the areas of settlement,” Dr Ashigbey said.

Benefits
On his part, Mr Awuah of the GAB said banks saw the CBDC as beneficiary to their operations and were putting in place efforts to maximize the gains.

The CEO of the association said the digital cedi would complement the cedi notes, thereby impacting positively on currency management.

He said increased use of the eCedi could lead to a reduction in the currency management costs of the lenders as less banknotes would be processed and carted around.

“It will help drive the cash-lite society too. Again, people will have the tokens of the eCedi on their phones, not physical cash, where they can be subjects of attack.

“It will help with distribution of bulk cash. If you need funds in Tamale, you do not have to transport bulk cash there.

“You can just request the amount in the digital form and it will be sent,” he said.

These notwithstanding, Mr Awuah said banks were not sure of the full impact of the eCedi on their general operations.

Consequently, he said, “We are still assessing its impact, including on MOMO and the likes.”

eCedi replaces MOMO?
When asked if the eCedi could impact negatively on MOMO, Mr Awuah said, “I will not say it is going to complement MOMO. The cash-in and cash-out may be affected because this is fiat cash and you cannot withdraw.

“It will not replace MOMO. I do not see eCedi reversing or cannabalizing MOMO but that is why the assessment is being done to study the impact.

“We are commissioning a report on it. We are just trying to understand the ecosystem to see how it will affect our operations,” the CEO of the GAB said.

Source: Maxwell Akalaare Adombila(Graphic Business News)

Leading global ICT company, Huawei has been acknowledged for playing a key role in expanding mobile network connectivity to some unserved and underserved rural communities in Ghana to drive digitalisation.

Huawei is the technical partner on the Rural Telephony Project which seeks to bring connectivity to over four million Ghanaians in underserved and unserved communities in Ghana.

This is through the use of the innovative RuralStar Solution jointly developed by Huawei and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation.

Three communities in the Ahafo Region became the recent beneficiaries of the project when a team led by the Communications Ministry commissioned the new RuralStar sites for the people of Apenamedi Dantano and Anwiem communities in the Region to give them access to the mobile networks.

In her remarks to the Chiefs and people of Dantano and Anwiem all in the Asunafo South District, the Communications and Digitalisation Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful highlighted the benefits of network connectivity, hence the need to increase and improve infrastructure in that regard.

“The project is very critical to our digital inclusion project and we cannot wait for the telecom companies to do it alone because it may not be fast as we expected.”

She also called on the communities to take full advantage of their newly found connectivity to change their lives.

“The benefits of connectivity to your community goes beyond students using it to advance their knowledge, take advantage of services like Mobile Money, eCommerce, and explore new business opportunities and boost your existing businesses,” she added.

The Minister also acknowledged Huawei for the company’s role in jointly developing the RuralStar Solution which saves up to 60% on the cost of traditional cell sites to enable the government together with partners deploy sites to more rural communities to bridge the connectivity gap.

The Ahafo Regional Minister also called on the community to embrace digitalisation and leverage the availability of mobile connectivity to improve their livelihoods. He also commended Huawei and its partners for their contributions to the project.

As part of the Rural Sites commissioning marathon in the Ahafo Region, the Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ama Pomaa Boateng, inspected the newly completed Rural Telephony project site at Apenamedi in the Asutifi South District Region.

During the visit, the Deputy Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to ensuring connectivity reaches everyone to facilitate the digital transformation process of government which Her ministry is spearheading.

She also complimented Huawei and the partners of the project for the good job done and entreated them to keep it up to ensure the goal of the project is achieved.

The Public Relations Manager for Huawei Ghana, David Appiah, reiterated Huawei’s commitment to the development of ICT infrastructure in Ghana.

“As a company, Huawei is committed to the development of ICT in Ghana, we shall continue to leverage our global expertise to complement the country’s digitalisation efforts.

“As an organisation, we have a vision of bringing connectivity to every community and our contributions to the RuralStar solution for the Rural Telephony Project is a testament to this,” he added

In Ghana, Huawei continues to complement digitalisation processes with a continuous focus on bridging the digital divide by connecting people and enabling information access across economic, social and geographic boundaries ensuring that more and more people enjoy conveniences brought by communications.

Source: MyJoyOnline

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has praised Vodafone Ghana for its enormous support for sustainable development in the Ashanti Region.

According to him, apart from Vodafone’s support for the prestigious Asantehene Open Golf Championship, it has introduced interventions that benefit everyone, especially women and children, for which he commended the company.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said this when the senior management team of Vodafone Ghana paid a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia Palace last Friday.

The purpose of the visit was to announce plans to extend the sponsorship of the Asantehene Open Golf Tournament, which Vodafone has sponsored for 5 consecutive years since 2017.

Otumfuo commends Vodafone for leading sustainable development in Ashanti Region
Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai, who led the delegation, said her outfit is excited to be sponsoring the Asantehene Open Golf Championship for another year.

She noted that the support of the sport was not only to strengthen Vodafone’s relationship with His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the people of Asanteman but to promote sustainable development in the region through impactful initiatives.

“This year, we have named the month ‘Boa Asanteman’ as we seek to address the key sustainable development needs of the region. Together with His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s Foundation, we will address several issues. These include promoting healthy lives and wellbeing through our Healthfest initiative; reducing maternal mortality with our free ultrasound screening; driving free and inclusive education for everyone through our Instant Schools activations; empowering SMEs with digital skill training as part of our SME Clinics; and ensuring the environmental sustainability of the region with a tree planting exercise,” she said.

“We wish to inform His Royal Majesty that our 2022 Ashanti-month campaign begins today with this official visit,” she declared.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II thanked Vodafone for leading sustainable development in the Ashanti region and also for promoting health and education in the region. He urged the organization to continue its good work.

The Asantehene also used the opportunity to charge the Royal Golf Club in Kumasi to ensure that Vodafone gets the needed visibility as the headline sponsor of the Championship. Meanwhile, Otumfuo has encouraged the golfers and the wider community to patronize Vodafone’s products and services.

Source: MyJoyOnline

Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, says the Ministry would not extend the set deadline for the nationwide SIM card registration exercise.

Consequently, she said all unregistered SIM cards would be deactivated by the end of July this year, and advised mobile phone users yet to register their SIM cards to do so.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful gave the caution during the climax of the Ahafo Regional celebration of the Girls-in-ICT Initiative held at Acherensua in the Asutifi South District on the theme “Access and safety.”

The Girls-in-ICT initiative, one of the flagship programmes of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD) was in line with the International Girls-in-ICT Day, an initiative introduced in 2012 and backed by all International Communications Unions (ITU) in the Member States.

It aimed at encouraging and empowering girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICT in the growing fields of ICTs, enabling both girls and technology companies to reap the benefits of greater female participation in the ICT sector.

Under the initiative, 1,000 girls from selected basic schools in the Region had the opportunity to undergo a one-week intensive training in ICT in basic computing including programming, coding, gaming, scratch typing and a mentorship programme.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said mobile phone subscribers and users in the country had been provided with enough time and opportunity to register their SIM cards saying, “there is no way we are going to extend the deadline again.”

She explained that SIM card registration was essential because the exercise would greatly help the country in its efforts to prevent online and cybercrimes that had become more sophisticated.

Touching on the Girls-in-ICT initiative, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the Ministry was determined to sustain the initiative to create opportunities for more girls to benefit from ICT education.

She emphasised that ICT education was not reserved for only boys and men, but for girls and women as well, saying girls also needed ICT skills to provide them with the needed exposure in the digital space.

Source: Ghana News Agency (MyJoyOnine)

The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC) is using the rural telephony and Digital Inclusion project to reduce cost of providing network service which could have been done by the telecom firms.

This is due to the provision of modern technology to ensure that all mobile devices are able to connect unto any of the telecom network services.

According to Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, government is deploying these technologies to ensure that rural folks are not left out of the digital economy.

The Minister was speaking to commission additional two rural telephony cell sites for Dantano and Anwiem in the Ahafo region.

“The project is very critical to our digital inclusion project and we cannot wait for the telecom companies to do it alone because it may not be fast as we expected”.

GIFEC reduces cost of providing network connection to rural areas
“As a government, we’re using this initiative to reduce the cost of providing network services by the telecom companies by about 60% per our projections. We hope to do more” she said.

Earlier, GIFEC also commissioned a cyber-laboratory for the Apenamedi Basic School, also in the Ahafo region.

GIFEC is the key Programmes & Projects Implementation Agency of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, mandated to bridge the existing digital divide in the country.

Speaking at the commissioning, Administrator of GIFEC, Prince Ofosu-Sefah, said the Fund is committed to provide the necessary tools to ensure quality network service across the country.

“Our role in government’s digitalisation agenda cannot be overemphasized”.

GIFEC reduces cost of providing network connection to rural areas
“Over the years, GIFEC has played a pivotal role in the provision and facilitation of innovative solutions, which includes robust infrastructure to connect the most rural communities, geared towards ensuring the inclusion of every citizen in the digital economy, for socioeconomic development” he noted.

Meanwhile, the Fund will also be establishing an ultra-modern ICT laboratory for the best 20 schools that emerged from the just ended Girls in ICT programme in the region.

A 12 year old, Juliet Delali, a pupil from the Sankore D/A JHS emerged the overall winner.

Source: Ebenezer Sabutey(MyJoyOnline)

World Environment Day takes place on 5 June, and this year’s theme is “Only One Earth”. The theme is a global call for collective and transformative action by various stakeholders to appreciate, protect and restore our planet. An initiative led by the United Nations Environment Programme, aims to encourage communities worldwide to raise awareness on the protection of our environment.

South Africa is experiencing significant impacts of climate change, including extreme weather patterns. Recently, South Africa experienced devastating floods in the KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape provinces taking the lives of 443 people and destroying several thousand homes and major infrastructure. A report on “Making Africa’s Case in the Climate Debate” found that, out of all African countries, South Africa has experienced the most extreme weather events in the past 12 years. The world at large is faced with the reality of climate change with a 2022 United Nations report noting that the planet is quickly approaching global warming of more than double the 1.5-degree limit. So, how do we, as individuals, tackle something as big as climate change? Where do we even begin?

“As Vodacom, we’ve always maintained that business success should not come at a cost to the environment”, says Jorge Mendes, Chief Officer of Consumer Business at Vodacom. “In commemorating World Environment Day, we would like to call on our customers to join us on our journey to protect the planet by reducing our collective impact to the environment. We are optimistic that together we can create a future where good business and doing good are the same thing,” says Mendes.

Here are five ways that Vodacom is actively enabling customers to make better buying decisions, so we can all put the environment first.

Eco-SIM Cards
To reduce the effect of plastic waste on the environment, Vodacom is actively replacing its current SIM cards with Eco-SIM cards, which are made from recycled plastic in a half-sized format. In an effort to reduce plastic waste on the environment, Vodacom customers can play their part in reducing plastic waste by only using eco-sim cards. To date, over 500 tons of paper and 300 tons of plastic have been saved thanks to the Eco-SIM cards initiative which has resulted in smaller starter Packs and less packaging.

Eco-rated Devices
In 2021, Vodacom introduced an industry-wide Eco-rating assessment where the Eco Rating score is a number used to indicate the environmental performance of mobile phones and is based on an objective assessment of both life cycle and environmental impact indicators. The highest possible score is 100 for maximum environmental performance. Based on the scoring out of 100, with the closer the score to 100, the better the environmental performance of the device, the rating system helps customers make better buying decisions with the option to purchase devices with the lowest impact to the environment. The Eco-rating label is based on factors such as durability, repairability, resource and climate efficiency and end-of-life recyclability.

Waste Reduction
Vodacom’s plastic-to-paper initiative, which replaces plastic bags with reusable eco-friendly paper bags in Vodacom retail stores, has prevented 2.5 million plastic carrier bags from entering the environment. All retail stores have a waste management plan to enable the reduction of its water, electricity consumption and waste generation. Additionally, a live carbon footprint dashboard displaying hourly, daily, and monthly data illustrates whether the store is meeting its carbon footprint KPI’s. The dashboard is web enabled and screened live in store so staff and members of the public are able to view the stores performance.

Device Repair and Refurbishment
Vodacom aims to extend the useful life of devices as far as possible and to ultimately reduce volumes of electronic waste. Vodacom’s Advanced Repair Centre (ARC) supporting an extensive repair network of 37 repair centres across all regions within South Africa, inclusive of two higher level repair hubs situated in Cape Town and Durban, have the capability to repair devices across all networks in the quickest possible time.

Depending on the make, model and condition of a phone, the device may either be repaired, refurbished or sent for recycling. In FY22, more than 321 000 devices were repaired at the ARC and its supportive repair network, with just over 6 000 phones identified for responsible recycling. Customers on any network can feel free to bring in their devices for service or repairs, as this facility is available to everyone.

Vodacom Green Stores
Since November 2021, Vodacom has introduced two pilot ‘green stores’ into its retail channel. The green credentials are a result of the stores using electronics that are 5-star graded for energy savings. As well as LED lighting to reduce energy consumption. Additional digital offerings such as Self-Checkout Kiosks, Digital Express Stores and e-Receipts will further reduce paper consumption within the Retail Channel. In the six months since the launch of e-Receipts, we have issued over 127 000 digital receipts replacing the need to print paper receipts.

“We constantly looking at ways to make it much easier for our customers to make more environmental-friendly choices. From reducing waste from our operations to replacing plastic bags with reusable, in-store paper bags, Vodacom is turning its sustainability strategy into a reality – a reality that customers can also embrace and fully participate in. It’s an important enabler of the company’s purpose; to connect for a better future, and ultimately, a better world,” concludes Mendes.

Source: Chamber News Desk.