Ghana: Controversy surrounding the acquisition of AirtelTigo by the government
November 9th 2020
In Ghana, NDC deputy Ras Mubarak demands transparency from the government on the acquisition of AirtelTigo. A member of the Parliamentary Communications Commission, he is increasing his press releases to deplore the management of this operation by the State.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP and his political party representative on Ghana’s Parliamentary Communications Commission Ras Mubarak urged the government to disclose to parliament all information in its possession on its deal with the Indian telecoms group Bharti Airtel for the acquisition of AirtelTigo. In several newspapers where he has spoken since October 28, 2020, he did not fail to describe this acquisition as a “bad deal”.
In an interview with the Business24 site , the MP again expressed his disappointment that the transaction in question was first disclosed by Bharti Airtel, one of the two main shareholders of AirtelTigo based in India. ” I find it unacceptable that my own government entered into such an agreement to use taxpayer money, to acquire 100% of AirtelTigo’s shares, and that it did not have the courtesy to inform the people of Ghana about the question, its reason and how much money is committed, ”he said.
Reacting after the exit of Bharti Airtel, the Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, justifying the government’s decision to acquire AirtelTigo, declared that he ” had reached this agreement to guarantee the safeguarding of thousands of Ghanaian jobs “.
But Ras Mubarak finds it worrying that the government is trying to become a player in the telecommunications industry when it is already a regulator through the National Communications Authority (NCA).
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