Revise telecoms industry laws to boost growth – Gov’t told

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Ken Ashigbey, has asked the government to revise the regulatory framework governing the industry to suit current trends.

According to him, the current laws do not support the effective development of the sector.

In an interaction with the media in Accra, Mr. Ashigbey, while making projections for the year 2021, said the Chamber will collaborate with government in reviewing the existing frameworks for the telecommunications industry to best suit current advancements.

He noted, “First is to look at the issues of the business environment and the issues of privacy. If you take our country, we are currently running telecommunication on voice legislation, voice regulation, and voice policy. But we know that we are within the 4G and 5G realm. It’s no more internet of things. It’s internet of everything. We are within the realms of mobile money. It was not envisaged when those laws were passed.”

“So we need to be able to engage government to revise the whole policy framework. The whole regulatory framework needs to be revised so that we are future proof. That’s very important,” he insisted.

The Ministry of Communications, in 2017, served notice that it will revise the law governing the telecommunication industry.

According to the Ministry, the growth in the industry called for new regulation to resolve confusion among telcos.

Speaking to Citi Business News on the issue, the Minister for Communication, Ursula Owusu Ekuful said the new law would bring clarity to the players in the industry and enhance fairness.

She also added that the government would see the regulatory space in the telecommunication industry cleared in order to enhance the performance of the various telcos.