The Minister for Communications, Digitalisation and Innovations, Mr. Samuel Nartey George, has announced the termination of the KelniGVG contract, effective at its current terminal date.
This decision follows a thorough review of the contract’s implications on state revenue, which revealed that fees paid to the private partner have increased from 28% to an alarming 84% of revenue from international inbound traffic since its commencement in 2018.
The Minister disclosed this information at a press briefing on Wednesday in Accra.
He stated that the National Communications Authority (NCA), which manages the contract, will not extend its agreement with KelniGVG and was preparing to handle revenue collection independently.
“The NCA will no longer extend the KelniGVG contract. I have instructed the NCA to begin preparing to manage the revenue accruing to the state from international inbound traffic,” the minister said.
Mr. George emphasized that he has directed further scrutiny of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), where concerns have arisen regarding ongoing payments to two firms, Sawtel Ltd and Dataceum Ltd.
These companies were initially contracted through DigitalGOV Ltd for project management services related to the Digital Service and Payment Platform (DSPP).
He noted that, despite the expiration of their contracts in February 2024, NITA has continued to make monthly payments to these two firms as service providers without any formal renewal.
“The contracts with both firms expired on February 29, 2024. No formal renewals or new engagement frameworks are in place, raising questions about continued service provision and NITA’s legal or financial obligations,” Mr. George stated.
The Minister mentioned that the ministry was in the process of assessing the necessity of continuing with either or both firms to eliminate duplication and ensure cost-efficiency in future project management support for the DSPP.
“This will incorporate project management under the broader DSPP Governance Framework, as recommended in the DigitalGOV contract review, with clear reporting to NITA,” he added.
Mr. George also noted that he has directed an audit and an update of the Smart Infraco (Lebara-Ghana Limited) e-Government Infrastructure Agreement.
According to him, recent audits revealed that NITA personnel had been denied both physical and logical access to vital infrastructure owned by the agency, including the Data Centre Facility and the network operations center.
However, the Minister reported progress, stating that 95% access to the e-government infrastructure has now been established.
He emphasized that the ministry plans to engage directly with Smart Infra-Cole to address outstanding payments and enforce compliance, ensuring that government interests are protected.
Mr. George reassured Ghanaians of transparency, accountability and fiscal discipline in managing the nation’s digital infrastructure.
Margaret Adjeley Sowah, ISD
