Afriwave Telecom Ghana Limited has formally congratulated Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang during a courtesy call at her office.
Company executives used the meeting to outline the benefits and operational impact of Ghana’s Interconnect Clearinghouse (ICH), which Afriwave manages under licence from the National Communications Authority (NCA). They also raised critical industry challenges directly affecting their business.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer Francis Poku detailed the ICH’s role in linking all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), enabling seamless communication across networks. He reported significant growth in national interconnect traffic, rising from an average of 800 million minutes monthly in 2016 to over one billion minutes monthly by the second quarter of 2025. Poku credited the ICH with simplifying interconnect architecture and standardising business processes among operators.
However, Poku highlighted a severe financial challenge. He stated that direct foreign exchange inflows from licenced International Wholesale Carriers routed through the ICH plummeted from approximately $20 million to under $1 million over the past five years.
He attributed this sharp decline to alleged pricing strategies by MNOs and the disruptive effect of communication platforms like WhatsApp. Afriwave appealed to the Vice President for government intervention to resolve these financial and policy bottlenecks, stressing their status as a wholly Ghanaian-owned company.
Vice President Opoku-Agyemang acknowledged Afriwave’s concerns. She assured the delegation of the government’s commitment to address the issues raised. The Vice President further stated that the administration would pursue policies designed to bolster the growth of local industries and support their potential regional expansion.
