Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has urged players in the telecommunications industry in Ghana to improve their service delivery to give customers value for money.
The Minister made the call at the maiden edition of a dialogue series by the Network of Communication Reporters (NCR) on Tuesday in Accra under the theme, ‘Moving from Service Quality to Service Excellence.’
“Your theme is certainly on point because this has been a haunting complaint, and there is need for the players in the industry to up their game to give customers value for money,” the Minister said.
She expressed dissatisfaction with services being provided to customers, saying many users of telcos services continue to run to the Ministry with complaints about poor service quality.
“Among complaints that come to us at the ministry are issues about mute speech on call, muffled voice. Instances where customers are told they have no credit to make their calls when in fact they have substantial credit are commonplace,” she disclosed.
“Call drops and serious delays in set up time are frustrating experiences to subscribers.
According to her, the issues of poor service delivery in the telecom industry in Ghana “are indeed very serious and they are not only for discussions but require the constant monitoring and enforcement of regulations.”
Monitor Compliance
She therefore appealed to members of the Network of Communications Reporters “to develop the interest in monitoring compliance and make all industry actors responsive to their covenants.”
“This is the role that the media can endear itself to Ghanaians,” the Minister said, calling on journalists to join the crusade to raise awareness about cyber security threats and campaign for child-on-line protection measures.
About the dialogue
The dialogue attracted industry players, regulators, the media and general public to discuss ways in which telecommunication companies can improve service delivery in the country.
The Dean of NCR, Charles Benoli Okai, stressed that the dialogue had been necessitated by the increased demands of consumers and the increased need for excellent service delivery.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Derek Laryea, who represented the industry players, stated that the telecommunications sector improved massively during the last two decades.
He stated that telecommunication service is like a utility and should be treated as such by all people.
In this light, just like how building constructors make provision for water and electricity when building especially high-rise buildings, the telecommunication companies should also be consulted so that they can make provisions to improve service delivery.
BY Melvin Tarlue & Akpene Darko – Cobbina