The Deputy Minister of Communications, Mr. Ato Edward Sarpong, has emphasised government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment that will help telecom operators to grow.

Speaking at the Brand transformation launch of Mobile Network Operator, Tigo in Accra, he said growth in the telecom sector will ultimately contribute to the benefit of the country as it will help create jobs and improve living standards. He said government is committed to bridging the digital divide between rural and urban and considering several options which would help expand access to telephony services in rural areas.

The Deputy Minister, who was optimistic about the positive gains of the telecom sector and upbeat about Tigo’s transformational journey explained that despite the challenges that the company encountered during the country’s transition from analogue and GSM, Tigo is still a dominate force in the market.

According to Mr Sarpong, with over 35 million mobile subscribers and 17 million data subscribers in Ghana, Tigo needs to be commended for keeping pace with the changing times. “25 years of operation in Ghana is a big milestone especially in the light of all the technological changes that have since taken place globally. For being the first operator in the country and reinventing yourself over the years, Tigo should be commended,” he said.

He praised the company for investing millions of Ghana cedis over the last couple years to improve network quality, rolling out to new areas and building Data centres.

He also urged telecom operators in the country to join forces on accelerating 4G network rollout to increase internet usage. “Recently, we auctioned 800MHz band for mobile services – one is still available and we are hoping that operators will put resources together and use it for the benefit of our people.