By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi
Accra, June 12, GNA – The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication (GCT) and Electronic Money Issuers (EMIs) Chamber of Ghana have called on former President John Dramani Mahama to prioritise a support regime for the telecommunications industry.
The two chambers said the industry needed some policy and tax interventions to support key systems like the digital payments ecosystem in the telecom space.
They made the call during an engagement session between the leadership of the two Chambers and the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and his team.
The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication was led by its Chairman, Patricia Obo-Nai, who is also the CEO of Telecel Ghana; Leo Skarlatos, Ating CEO of AT; Stephen Blewett, CEO of MTN Ghana; Angelo Govinaa, Managing Director, Helios Towers Ghana and Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey the CEO of GCT and EMIs.
After about two hours of meeting, some key issues discussed on the part of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication were creating a conducive and supportive policy and regulatory environment, an enabling tax regime and protection for industry infrastructure.
The rest were ensuring low cost of doing business, ease of doing business, sustainable promotion of local content and helping solve the indebtedness to the industry.
On the part of the Electronic Money Issuers, they discussed a repeal of the E-Levy law, facilitation of cross-border payments, driving digital payments for People to Government and merchant payments.
The rest were enabling policy and regulatory environment and ensuring easy access to the Ghana card database.
The EMIs Chamber was led by Philip Amoateng, its founding chairman; Mohammed Alhassan, Acting Managing Director of AT; Shaibu Haruna, CEO of Mobile Money Limited; Edem Kpodo, Operations Lead at G-Money and other representatives.
The former President and Flagbearer gave an assurance that all the issues raised in his telecom Manifesto and at the meeting would be dealt with, working in collaboration with members of both Chambers.
He was in the company of Mr Samuel Nartey George, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram, and other team members.
As part of both Chambers’ plans of meeting Flagbearers of the political parties with representation in parliament, they would meet Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), June 7.
GNA