After an extensive investigation spanning three countries and spanning several months, former Presidential spokesperson and bestselling author, Reno Omokri, has unveiled an exposé shedding light on the exploitative practices of telecommunications giant MTN and their detrimental impact on the economies of multiple sub-Saharan countries.
The exposé meticulously traces the economic challenges currently plaguing the Ghanaian economy, attributing a significant portion of these issues to the monopolistic policies implemented by MTN. These policies have resulted in an unprecedented capital flight from the beleaguered West African nation.
In response to these concerns, last year, Ghana took decisive action, officially designating MTN as a monopoly and imposing substantial fines amounting to $773 million for the adverse effects on the Ghanaian business environment. Despite legal challenges mounted by MTN, the Appeals Court, in October, upheld the Ghanaian government’s classification, solidifying the accountability of the telecommunications giant for its impact on the nation.
In Omokri’s documentary, titled ‘How MTN’s Monopoly Destroyed The Ghanaian Economy. And Nigeria Is Next!’, the renowned author, travelled to Ghana and interviewed government officials, chambers of commerce operatives, and labour union activists, as well as market women and ordinary Ghanaians.
Ordinary Ghanaians were observed lamenting the erosion of their personal economy by MTN, with a market woman saying, ‘All of us in this country now work for MTN’.
Labour leaders complained about MTN’s use of interconnectivity rates to stifle other telcos, forcing the government of Ghana to slam a fine of $773 million on MTN. MTN responded by suing the Ghanaian government but lost in court.
Omokri pointed out that whereas all the large and medium-sized African nations where MTN is operating have struggling economies, the fastest growing large economies in Africa, such as Ethiopia and Tanzania, both with an average 6% GDP growth rates, do not have MTN operating in their countries. He opined, with data, that this could not be coincidental.
In the documentary, Kevin Ekow Taylor, one of the most prominent journalists in Ghana, had this to say about MTN’s monopolistic practices in Ghana:
“MTN is basically monopolising the system. They have taken advantage of the market too much. It is all because government upon government have given MTN too much room to cheat the Ghanaian.”
Every day, an estimated $2 million leaves the Ghanaian economy to South Africa, MTN’s home country. That is disastrous for a country with a GDP of less than $80 billion.
Omokri also travelled to Kenya and interviewed a well-known Kenyan activist, Bishop Wycliffe Khaemba, who said as follows:
“The type of things that are happening in Nigeria and Ghana in the telecoms sector can’t happen in Kenya, because our government is alive to its responsibilities.”
He was referring to Kenya’s Information and Communications Act (Interconnection). This legislation is light years ahead of similar legislation in other African nations.
The Kenyan legislation specifically targets preventing a monopoly in the telecommunications industry by requiring “dominant providers to adhere to the principle of non-discrimination. A dominant interconnection provider is obligated to determine the interconnection charges based on objective criteria and to observe the principles of transparency and cost orientation. Failure to comply will result in the CA requesting the interconnection provider to adjust the charges or risk the imposition of a default interconnection charge by the CA.”
Omokri’s documentary, which has since gone viral, features a prominent U.S. Mayor, Mike Arnold, the elected mayor of Blanco, Texas, who urged Nigeria and Ghana to look inwards, rather than outward to foreign goods and services, especially in the telecommunications sector.
