was in Mogadishu, when I first heard about the sale of the then Ghana Telecom. My senior, Richard and I did a brief analysis and agreed it was a hugely undervalued sale (offloading).
I was upset, but I consoled myself with the logical thought that at least, Vodafone might, as part of the negotiating, be pressured to inject the balance from the windfall price tag into the Telco’s mobile and broadband infrastructure to give it a continuing competitive advantage beyond the then rapidly fading landline advantage it had and take advantage of the equally then virgin (burgeoning) mobile market. They didn’t – at least not as much as I thought they would. In fact, it wasn’t even part of the negotiation, as I later found out.
So, it lost, both in entrenching its market share lead and in expanding the nation’s telecommunication footprint… and with it, a potential domestic E-market.
Today, “I am hearing” Vodafone has been allegedly sold for a pittance below $200million to a 3-5 tier….
Bloody sad. It makes my stomach churn!! So much I want to say but… I have learned these things don’t amount to much…
It appears before 2024 is done, there “might” be a “few” divestitures of State-invested institutions. That’s not the problem – the problem has always been HOW they are negotiated – for the long-term interest of country, or the kickback interest of a few. You know the answer. No, I lied. The even bigger problem, is most Leadership/Management at many of our State-invested entities are handed as REWARDS for political support – no real expertise. So, by the time they are divested – they are always run down, just about enough, to be sold for pittance. Its a cycle. A guaranteed repeated cycle.
We pretend to be surviving as citizens – so, they pretend to be leading us to becoming a Nation, Great amd Strong!
#FraudNation
#GhanaIsACrimeScene
By: Marricke Kofi Gane
