NDC’s Oliver Kevor flays Vice President Bawumia

After being flawed on his digitalization achievements, I am told Vice President Dr. Muhamadu Bawumia is back with another lie to dilute the debate on e-levy a.k.a. #Bawumiatax.

He claims that President Nana Akufo-Addo and himself licensed 88% of Fibre Optics Operators representing the biggest achievement in the space. This claim is a cheap lie and misleading.

1. Number of licenses is not the same as the amount or extent of fibre investments.

2. The biggest fibre investments in Ghana is by MNOs, long licensed before Dr. Bawumia started developing his new obsession for 1s and 0s.

3. The Eastern Fibre was built by the President John Mahama National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government, an achievement only the private operators can parallel. No other government has.

4. Again Csquared was licensed under the NDC and they built extensive fibre in Accra, Tema and Kumasi. The largest intracity rollouts.

5. What’s more? Save SAT-3, which started under President Jerry John Rawlings, all international fibre backbones to the internet (the digitalization highway) were under the President Mills-Mahama NDC (ACE/Dolphin, WACS, GLO, MAIN-ONE). These cumulatively drove down the cost of data.

6. NITA, under John Mahama also embarked on massive fibre rollouts.

7. This government only regularized the license of Comsys and GRIDCo (which already had fibre asset). The only new entrant is Spectrum Fibre (also largely running GRIDCo fibre).

8. So how does giving licence to private operators (and taking money from them) without putting a pesewa in any fibre rollout become an achievement, compared to Mahama’s tangible investments?

9. Should we count the number of broadband and ISP licenses given under John Mahama and compare to today? The sad story is that most ISPs and some MNOs are struggling to survive today!! That should catch the attention of Bawumia.

10. There is no feet for the #Bawumiahtax to stand on.

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