The Ghana News Agency reported this week that the Ghanian government will soon employ Haitian-based Global Voices Group to monitor inbound international phone calls despite protests from Vodafone (News - Alert) Ghana and other telecom operators.

 

GVG's call verification system helped the government pinpoint the exact amount of money lost per month through fraudulently intercepted phone calls bound for Ghana from other nations, according the Ministry of Communications. These precise results determined by GVG suggest that its employment by Ghana's government will prevent the fraudulent call termination causing those monetary losses that reach into the millions. The Ministry of Communications reportedly expects that using GVG will aid in producing at least $60 million from monitored inbound international calls. This change demands that all telecom operators charge 19 cents per inbound international call as opposed to the previous 12 cents.

 

Vodafone Ghana Head of Corporate Communications Isaac Cudjoe recently interviewed with the Ghana News Agency about the government's use of GVG for revenue, and he said that there are other ways to guarantee the deserved revenue from inbound international phone calls without jeopardizing the security and privacy of individual phone users and the nation itself.

 

Cudjoe insisted that Vodafone and other telecom operators, "cannot be sure that the privacy of our subscribers is secured," when a foreign service provider is allowed access to international calls, reports the GNA.

In addition to the concern for private and national security, Cudjoe raised the issues of price control instituted by the government's decision to fix all calls at 19 cents, and how it will affect the international business Ghana currently conducts. He argues that the increased tariff will deter anyone abroad from placing phone calls to Ghana, whether for business or social reasons, and the government will actually lose money.

Other concerns about the new call monitoring system by GVG come from industry experts interviewed by the GNA who reiterate that, with the use of this new system, there is no guaranteed safety or privacy for phone users, there is no guarantee of Ghana's accurate revenue intake, and that GVG will walk away with a huge amount of money that could have otherwise been put towards Ghana's internal development.