By Musa Paul Feika
The opposition MP Hon. Daniel Fornah from Tonkolili District has accused the country’s National Telecommunications Authority (NaTCA) of connivance with mobile companies to deprive Sierra Leonean users of certain facilities they ought to enjoy and benefit from the mobile operators.
Hon. Fornah made this allegation on Wednesday, 6th November, 2024, in the Well of Parliament while debating on the President’s Speech marking the State opening of Parliament.
“Mr. Speaker, the issue of connivance by the people’s authority expected to be monitoring and regulating Mobile Operators in the country, is a very serious issue affecting our people,” he stressed.
He maintained that instead of imposing the 10% import duty tax on rice to the paid by ordinary Sierra Leoneans, that tax burden should have been shifted to the mobile operators because of the exorbitant charges on the use of their facilities on the citizens, which he pointed out, is giving the companies huge dividends. “This could have only been possibly if the National Telecommunications Authority (NATCA) was honestly and sincerely monitoring and regulating these companies in the best interest of Sierra Leoneans.
The floor prices imposed by mobile operators, the Member of Parliament stated, has slowed down their network expansions across the country.
He referenced page 10, paragraph 80 which talks about the expansion of mobile networks across Sierra Leone, noting that this particular responsibility of the mobile operators, “is far fetch from the reality.”
While Hon. Fornah thanked the Deputy Speaker for summoning and setting up a-six man committee to be chaired by Hon. Boston Munda to promptly look into the issues of these mobile operators, he suggested that NATCA NaTCA be incorporated into the Committee, otherwise, the outcome of the investigation would not be thorough.
The opposition MP said due to NaTCA’s failure to comply with the National Telecommunications Authority Act 2022 Government has lost colossal sums of money over time, estimated to the tune of Four Hundred Billion Leones equivalent to Twenty-one Million US Dollars supposed to be paid into Consloated Revenue Fund (CRF).