Rinchi
TechInAfrica – The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and the Minister of Communication, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful have officially launched the Common Monitoring Platform (CMP) established by Kelni GVG. The launch took place on the premises of the National Communications Authority (NCA).
The event was also attended by the Chief Executive Officers from four network companies and key stakeholders in Ghana’s telecom sector.
The Minister of Communication, Owusu-Ekuful said that the launch of the Monitoring Platform aims to provide an “objective means” in order to verify information provided by telecom companies. Moreover, it is expected to help with tax revenue monitoring according to the law.
Owusu-Ekuful is satisfied with the telcos’ cooperative attitude to connect their billing loads to the CMP. Moreover, the governments also provide these telcos with the information they may need through NCA and GVG in order to help them monitor mobile money transactions. She remarked: “We welcome all comments and suggestions that will improve upon the implementation of the common platform but hope that it will be based on proven facts and not be the figment of over-reactive imaginations and more fanciful fears.”
On the other hand, a think tank firm, IMANI Africa through its president, Franklin Cudjoe is certain that the launch of the platform by the president and the ministers will sweep away corruption issues from the surface. IMANI Africa assumes that the president does not care much about the real issues raised, instead, launching the CMP.
IMANI Africa conducted a campaign that took place in May this year as an effort to compel the Ministry of Communications (MOC), the National Communications Authority (NCA), and the Ghana Revenue Authority. The campaign demanded a careful review of its engagement of Kelni GVG in a $178 million project. AMANI Africa found that the approach to revenue assurance in the telecom sector was not right.
Speaking about the project, IMANI said that the approach has substantively no different from what the governments have been doing for years. In other words, the project has no significant value in “protecting revenue”.
