The Ministry of Communications and Digital Technology has announced it will not renew the contract with KelniGVG, the private firm responsible for Ghana’s telecom traffic monitoring system, once it reaches its expiration date.
Delivering the announcement at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, April 9, Minister of Communications Samuel Nartey George cited unsustainable costs as the primary reason behind the decision.
“I wish to announce that on the back of the foregoing, I will NOT be extending the Common Monitoring Platform contract, popularly called KelniGVG, beyond its current terminal date,” the Minister declared.
The Common Monitoring Platform (CMP), introduced in 2018, was intended to curb revenue losses from international inbound telecom traffic.
However, Mr. George disclosed that the cost of running the system has risen sharply—from 28% of accrued revenue in the initial years to an alarming 84% by October 2024.
“This means the State is paying far more to monitor the revenue than it retains. This contract has become unsustainable for the state,” he said.
The $89 million contract has long attracted criticism. Think tanks like IMANI Africa questioned its cost-effectiveness, while Parliament raised concerns about the transparency of its procurement. Some telecom operators also cited technical inefficiencies in the CMP’s implementation.
As part of a transition plan, the Minister revealed that the National Communications Authority (NCA) has been tasked to prepare to take over the telecom revenue monitoring function.
“I have instructed the NCA to begin to hold itself in preparedness to carry out the revenue assurance platform on its own,” Mr. George stated.
The NCA will first conduct an operational audit of the current system before assuming full oversight.
The Minister assured that the Authority would be held to strict accountability standards in its new role.
Source – Communication Ministry
