Government will not renew Kelni GVG contract over unsustainable costs - Sam George

The Ministry of Communications and Digital Technology will not renew its contract with Kelni GVG. This company manages Ghana’s telecom traffic monitoring system.

Minister Samuel Nartey George announced this decision at a press briefing in Accra on April 9. He expressed concerns about rising monitoring costs. These costs now account for 84 percent of generated revenues.

The Common Monitoring Platform (CMP) contract began in 2018. It was meant to track international inbound calls and prevent revenue loss in telecommunications. However, Mr. George noted that operating costs have surged from 28 percent to 84 percent since the contract started.

“This contract has become unsustainable for the state,” he stated. “We are spending more on monitoring than we retain. This is unacceptable.”

As part of the transition plan, the National Communications Authority (NCA) will take over revenue monitoring. Mr. George instructed the NCA to prepare for a smooth transfer of operations and review the existing platform.

The $89 million contract with Kelni GVG has faced public scrutiny since it began. Policy think tank IMANI Africa raised concerns about its value for money and challenged it in court. Parliament also questioned the procurement processes, while some telecom operators reported inefficiencies.

According to the Minister, the NCA will first conduct an operational audit of the current platform before fully managing it. He emphasized that strict accountability standards would apply in their new oversight role.