The Board of Directors of the National Communications Authority (NCA) has issued a statement on the controversial  $89 million Kelni GVG deal.

The NCA in the statement defended the controversial stating that deal, contrary to reports in the media holds many benefits for the country.

The statement further denied reports that some of its members are threatening to resign over the controversial $89 million revenue monitoring and SIM Box fraud-fighting deal between the Government of Ghana and Haitian firm KelniGVG.

The statement said on Tuesday, 22 May; “The Board wishes to make the point that solutions offered by the Common Platform brings additional visibility to the communications environment and would provide benefits such as: Real time monitoring of all traffic and revenue generated from mobile and fixed network operators, real time information on the volumes and values of transaction of Mobile Money and fraud management (SIM BOX Tracking and Geo-location)” 

The NCA’s comments follow claims by founding president of think tank Imani Africa that more members of the Board were threatening to resign in protest to the $89million deal.

“Some board members of the NCA are willing to resign if the deal goes through. There is one board member who has resigned. We don’t know who owns GVG. Meanwhile, the ministers are sitting and talking at length. How on earth under Akufo-Addo government can a minister work with a company that doesn’t have a track record?” Mr Franklin Cudjoe had said on Tuesday.

Read the NCA’s full statement:

The attention of the National Communications Authority (NCA) has been drawn to some comments from the media mentioning the Board of Directors over issues relating to the Common Platform and wishes to comment as follows:

1. The general public and interested parties are referred to the Communications Service Tax (Amendment) Act, 2013, Act 864 which states that the Minister for Finance in collaboration with the Minister responsible for Communications shall establish a common platform as a monitoring mechanism to verify the actual revenue that accrue to service providers for the purpose of computing taxes due to Government under Act 864 and revenues accruing from levies under the Electronic Communications Act 2008 (Act 775) as amended.

2. Pursuant to the law, the Common Platform contract was executed by the two (2) ministries. Therefore, the Board of Directors of the NCA does not have the authority to approve or reject such a contract.

It should be noted, however, that the NCA and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) per the respective enabling enactments, i.e. Act 775 as amended, in the case of the NCA and Act 864 in the case of the GRA, are the implementing agencies.

3. We wish to state that Mrs. Susan Adjorkor Kumapley, a former member of the Board, resigned on 12th February, 2018. No reasons were assigned in her resignation letter.

4. The claim that some members of the Board have threatened to resign is false and should be disregarded.

The Board wishes to make the point that solutions offered by the Common Platform brings additional visibility to the communications environment and would provide benefits such as:

• Real time monitoring of all traffic and revenue generated from mobile and fixed network operators.

• Real time information on the volumes and values of transaction of Mobile Money.

• Fraud Management (SIM BOX Tracking and Geo-location).

Issued by the Board of Directors, National Communications Authority