Communications Ministry to stop importation of fake phones in Ghana

The Ministry of Communications has warned of an eminent crack down on the activities of illegal operators in the telecommunication industry.

A Deputy Minister of Communication, Mr George Andah, who gave the warning, said the crack-down would be targeted at halting the importation of fake mobile phones into the country and subsequent evasion import duties.

“Out of five million mobile phones that are imported into the country every year, only 40 per cent of the devices attract import duties upon arrival while some of them do not meet the specifications of the international Telecommunication Union (ITU).

“We are going to put in place stringent measures to ensure that people pay the appropriate taxes.The systems will be such that mobile devices that enter the country without appropriate import duties will not be connected to any mobile network,” he stressed.

WTISD

He was speaking at a flag hoisting event held in Accra today to mark the 2019 World Telecommunications and Information Society Day (WTISD).

The WTISD is marked annually across the world to raise awareness on the importance on adhering to standards and safety systems in the telecommunication industry.