The Minister of Communications and Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has announced government’s intention not to renew its contract with KelniGVG, a private company behind Ghana’s telecom traffic monitoring system, when it expires.
Addressing the press in Accra on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, Sam George cited unsustainable costs as the key reason for the decision.
The Common Monitoring Platform (CMP) contract, introduced in 2018, was designed to prevent revenue leakages from international inbound telecom traffic.
However, George said the cost of operating the system has sharply increased from 28% of the revenue accrued in its early years to a staggering 84% by October, 2024.
“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. This means the state is paying far more to monitor the revenue than it retains. This contract has become unsustainable for the state”, he stated.
The US$89 million contract has faced widespread criticisms over the years.
Civil society groups like IMANI Africa previously challenged its cost-effectiveness while Parliament questioned the transparency of the procurement process.
Also some telecom operators have cited technical inefficiencies in the platform’s performance.
As part of a transition plan, the minister has instructed the National Communications Authority (NCA) to prepare to take over the responsibility of monitoring telecom revenues.
The NCA will begin by conducting an operational audit of the current monitoring system before assuming full control.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
