Minister for Communication, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has shockingly revealed the government acquired AirtelTigo at one dollar.
The government, through the transaction, will temporarily operate the national asset in the best interest of the nation.
It will ensure the protection of the interests of all employees, customers and stakeholders, and a continuation of the digital transformation in Ghana.
She explained there have been speculations the government acquired the company at $25 million though nobody has asked questions about the transactions.
“Following unfavourable merger terms and the adverse effect of the covid, they decided to pull out of the African market and because we could not let people’s source of livelihood collapse, the government acquired the company after engagements,” she said.
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The Ablekuma West Member of Parliament disclosed this in an exclusive interview on Adom TV’s Badwam.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful was optimistic the acquisition dates back to Ghana’s relationship with Western Telecommunication (Westel) where she was a Managing Director.
She recounted how Ghana became the first subsidiary after they re-branded from Celtel to Zain and Airtel also bought into the operations, describing it as a full cycle which has come back to her.
However, she indicated the government will, after the election, take a conclusive decision on the transaction.
“We are now focused on winning the election after which the government will decide whether to manage, sale it off or go into a merger,” she added.
Bharti Airtel in 2017 merged with Millicom’s Tigo in Ghana to become the country’s second largest mobile operator, AirtelTigo, with the approval of The National Communications Authority.
Listen to Madam Owusu-Ekuful in the video attached above: