PRESS RELEASE: GHANAIANS TO BOYCOTT MOBILE PHONE NETWORKS

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Accra, 13th January 2022.

GHANAIANS TO BOYCOTT MOBILE PHONE NETWORKS

We, the undersigned Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers, having consulted Ghanaians across the country, have set aside Tuesday 8th February 2022 as a “No Calls Day.” On that day, we call on all Ghanaians not to make or receive phone calls as a way of registering our disquiet about the circus surrounding the SIM card re-registration excercise.

The No Calls Day boycott on 8th February, would be the first in a series of national boycotts to protest against the current inhumane process of re-registration of SIM cards.

There is no law in Ghana that requires Ghanaian mobile network subscribers to “Re-register” their SIM cards.

Any attempt to impose this on subscribers or block their lines would amount to an infringement of their property rights.

Our demands are as follows:

(I) The National Communication Authority (NCA) should immediately withdraw its directive for mobile network customers to re-register their SIM cards by 31st March 2022.

(II) When the appropriate legal framework is in place, a re-registration exercise can be done without having subscribers spend productive hours and several days in long queues in the midst of a ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.

(II) There’s understandably a need to eliminate crime. But the fight against criminals must be within the law. We therefore demand that the NCA and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) must come up with a better and innovative way of re-registering the SIM cards by first amending existing law; and secondly to do so without the current inhumane re-registration process we are witnessing.

If the NCA and the MNOs fail to heed these demands, we shall, starting Tuesday, 8th February 2022 begin the first of a series of planned boycotts until the rights of customers to be treated with dignity are respected.

Signed:

Mr. Ras Mubarak
Prof. Raymond Atuguba
Mr. Kofi Bentsil
Mr. Franklin Cudjoe
Mr. Kofi Kakraba Pratt
Dr. Kwesi Owusu
Mr. James Afedo
Mr. Selorm Branttie
Mr. Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi
Mr. Samson Lardy Anyenini
Mr. Manasseh Azure Awuni
Akyaaba Addai – Sebo
Mr Kwame Mfodwo
Mr Michael Ofori – Akuffo
[0:05 pm, 13/01/2022] Mr Pratt: Mali’s army-dominated government on Wednesday condemned what it called a “clear breach” of its airspace by a French military aircraft this week, warning of potential consequences should such practices continue.

Malian government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga stated that a complaint had been issued to France after one of its military planes travelled between Ivory Coast’s capital Abidjan and the northern Malian city of Gao on Tuesday.

The flight was a “clear breach” of Malian airspace, the statement said, given the closure of most of the country’s land and air borders due to regional sanctions recently imposed on the Sahel state.

The French military plane had also switched off its transponder, preventing it from communicating with Malian aviation authorities, according to the statement.

It added that the government would “refuse all responsibility for the risks to which the perpetrators of these practices may be exposed in the event of a further violation of our airspace”.

On Sunday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agreed to shutter land and air borders with Mali and impose a trade embargo over delayed elections.

The sanctions — which France has backed — came after Mali’s army-dominated government last month proposed staying in power for up to five years before restoring democracy.