The newly constituted Board of Directors of AirtelTigo Ghana has pledged to strengthen the company’s governance, security and operational efficiency as it works to position the telecom operator for sustainable growth.
The Board Chair said the new board’s appointment represents an opportunity for Ghanaians to demonstrate their capacity to build and manage a world-class telecommunications company using expertise gained from both local and international experience.
The comments were made during the swearing-in of the new board, which comes as government works to address outstanding governance and regulatory issues affecting AirtelTigo and its wholly owned subsidiary, Next-Gen InfraCo, also known as PPL.
Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, said the absence of a substantive board had delayed the implementation of several policy directives aimed at repositioning the company.
According to the Minister, government has directed the National Communications Authority to make spectrum available to PPL in three bands, but the allocation is contingent on the company meeting legal requirements, including the submission of audited accounts.
PPL’s accounts are reportedly in arrears by about a year, while outstanding issues concerning the directors of the company also need to be addressed.
Mr George said the newly sworn-in board has a clear responsibility to resolve the outstanding matters to allow the company to move to the next stage.
“The board has its work cut out for it to ensure that the requisite steps are taken to sort out the audited accounts and make the necessary changes with the Registrar of Companies.”
He also disclosed that the Ministry has issued a policy directive to the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications, GIFEC, regarding PPL’s access to the GIFEC core, with the implementation also dependent on the resolution of the outstanding issues.
The Minister stressed the importance of constituting the board, saying the lack of one had prevented the implementation of directives issued by the Ministry nearly two months earlier.
Meanwhile, the Board Chair said the new board would prioritise strong governance and strategic oversight while working to make AirtelTigo more efficient, secure and innovative.
“We will provide strong strategic leadership, strong governance, and respective oversight. We will guide the company towards becoming an efficient, secure, innovative and dependable telecoms organisation that our customers can trust and that Ghana can be proud of.”
The Board Chair said the rapidly changing telecommunications industry requires the company to embrace innovation while maintaining high standards of integrity, accountability and security.
The board also pledged to hold management accountable for performance and results, while supporting efforts to improve services and create greater value for customers and the wider economy.
At the operational level, the Director-General of the State Interests and Governance Authority, Michael Kpessa-Whyte, said government expects AirtelTigo to return to profitability and begin paying dividends to the state.
“We expect that within the shortest possible time, AirtelTigo should be sending out profits and be in the capacity to pay dividends to the state.”
He said the company would be subject to SIGA’s protocols, including performance contracts, monitoring and evaluation, as well as governance-related inductions and training.
The new board is expected to work with management and relevant state institutions to address the company’s outstanding regulatory and governance requirements and support its return to stronger commercial performance.