GLO Mobile must remain in Ghana!

As soon as it secured the license to operate as the sixth mobile phone operator in Ghana, Glo Mobile hit the ground running by investing massively in certain areas of Ghana’s economy.

First, Glo invested an unprecedented 15 million dollars in the Ghanaian Premier League, before going ahead to support the senior national football team, the Black Stars with an astonishing 9 million dollars.

Glo also signed a sponsorship deal worth thousands of dollars with the Ghana National Supporter’s Union (GHANSU)

All these investments were carried out in spite of the fact the Glo hadn’t rolled out its mobile services in the country.

Till today, Glo Mobile continues to sponsor several activities and events in the country. Associations such as the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), The Premier League Board and the Ghana Football Association (G.F.A), continue to benefit from Glo’s benevolence.

The fact that Glo is investing millions of dollars in the Ghanaian economy despite not having begun operations in the country is an incontrovertible indication that the company is committed to contributing its own quota to Ghana’s development.

Dashed Hope and Opportunities.

Ghanaians have been patiently anticipating Glo’ major take off for sometime now, they know that not only will Glo’s roll-out provide them with numerous employment opportunities, it will also lead to the transformation of Ghana’s telecommunications sector.

Unfortunately, the hopes and aspirations of many Ghanaians are about to be dashed with news that Glo Mobile intends to pull out of Ghana.

According to a Daily Graphic report, Glo Mobile ‘has decided to divest its investment in the country and exit Ghana as it faces several challenges from some interests bent on sabotaging the company’s nation wide take-off plan.’’

The story indicated that some of the challenges the company has faced since it was awarded a GSM license by the National Communications Authority (NCA) ‘include an encroachment on the frequency allocated to it by the NCA, the repeated sabotage of its billboards and the delay in securing approval for the swift deployment of its infrastructure, such as base stations.’

The story went on to add that ‘while Glo Mobile had been working at frenetic pace to formally roll out the network, some forces had been deliberately working around the clock to cripple its operations and prevent it from rolling out quickly.’

I’m surprised that instead of reciprocating Glo’s benevolence over the years, by supporting them in whatever capacity we can to enable them roll out as quickly as possible, some people are satanically going about derailing the efforts of the telecommunications giant. Needless to say, the destruction of Glo’s mast, billboards, and other infrastructure by some faceless individuals or perhaps organizations are sophomoric and despicable acts that should be rigorously condemned by all.

The telecommunications industry in this country is one in which corruption thrives. Over the years, mobile phone operators in the country have contemptuously delivered poor services to Ghanaians despite the latter paying heavy amounts for voice and data services. The National Communications Authority (N.C.A) which is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that Ghanaian subscribers get their money’s worth has been utterly ineffective in that regard.

As a result, Ghanaians have become frustrated; this is especially so in view of the fact that certain mobile phone operators fail to provide quality customer care for their subscribers in addition to the poor voice and data services they offer.

To many Ghanaians, therefore, Glo Mobile represents hope and change; and the news the company intends to pull out of the country is the most devastating they have heard in recent times.

Consequences of a Pull out.

If Glo Mobile eventually pulls out of Ghana, we would have succeeded in sending out the wrong signal to foreign investors and the international community at large. Prospective investors will be hesitant in investing in the country.

The government will be deprived of millions of dollars in taxes Glo mobile would have paid to the state for its operations in the country. Organizations such as G.F.A, GHANSU, and PLB will lose the lucrative sponsorship deals they have secured from Glo.

The media also stands to lose million, perhaps billions of dollars they would have derived from advertising Glo’s product and services. Not only that, deprived communities, institutions, and individuals who would have benefited immensely from Glo’s Corporate Social Responsibility programmes will also be denied that opportunity.

Needless to say, a Glo pull out will be detrimental to Ghana’s economic development; it is Ghanaians that will be affected most, because their dreams of seeing Glo revolutionalize the telecommunications industry will remain only a dream.

Ghanaians envisage that Glo’s involvement in the telecoms industry will trigger the kind of competition that will see other mobile phone operators improve their services as well as reduce astronomical voice and data charges. If Glo pulls out at this stage, the already appalling situation in the telecom industry will deteriorate.

In essence, a Glo pull out will only affect Ghanaian mobile phone subscribers; economically, it would derail the efforts of government to attract foreign direct investment, generate employment and stimulate economic growth.

Positive Action.

ction. Glo’s involvement in Ghana is non-negotiable; it is imperative! Glo Mobile possesses immeasurable expertise in telecommunications, a situation which has seen the company achieve success especially in Nigeria and in the Republic of Benin. Indeed, Glo recently made history as the first single company to build an $800 million high-capacity fibre-optic cable, known as Glo-1. It the first successful submarine cable from the United Kingdom to Nigeria; and it will decrease telecom process and provide excess bandwidth to all the cities connected to the cable. It will also improve teleconferencing, distance learning, disaster recovery and telemedicine among several other benefits.the foregoing clearly shows Clearly Glo Mobile is a world class company whose involvement in Ghana will do the country nothing but good.

It is important, therefore, that the company is given the freewill and support it requires to successfully begin operations in Ghana.

It behooves on government, through high level talks with the management of Glo Mobile, to ensure that the company rescinds its decision to quit as a matter of priority and urgency.

I reiterate that by investing millions of dollars in the Ghanaian economy despite not having begun operations in the country, Glo has proven that it is ever committed to contributing its own quota to Ghana’s development. It'’s only normal, therefore, that they are supported unflinchingly by all-Ghanaians, N.C.A, government- in their quest to transform telecommunications in the country. This is imperative if Ghanaians are to realize their dream of ruling their own world.

Samuel K. Obour

The Author studied Communications at the Ghana Institute of Journalism and can be reached at ‘samuelkwason@yahoo.com’.