All staff of Vodafone Ghana will keep their jobs despite the recent approval by the National Communications Authority for the transfer of the 70 per cent majority shares in Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited (Vodafone Ghana) held by Vodafone International Holdings B.V., to Telecel Group, the new management has said.
The co-founder and Director of the Board of Telecel Group, Mr Nicolas Bourg, told Accra-based Citi FM: “… We don’t have any plans to lay off anybody”.
“That’s not the way we operate in Telecel”, he noted.
“We proved it with different organisations that we have in different sectors.”
“Our plan is to keep every employee of Vodafone”, he insisted.
The NCA, pursuant to the evaluation of the revised proposal from the Telecel Group, granted the shares transfer approval a few weeks ago.
In January 2022, the NCA received an application from Vodafone Ghana for the transfer of 70 per cent of its majority shares held by the Seller to the Buyer.
In accordance with due process, the Authority evaluated the application on various criteria and engaged both Vodafone Ghana and the Buyer.
The NCA concluded that the request did not meet the regulatory threshold for approval to be granted.
Following the NCA’s decision, the Buyer resubmitted a revised financial and technical proposal in December 2022 which demonstrated the needed capital investment to extend the deployment of 4G and launch innovative Fintech solutions.
The NCA found that the revised proposal provided more clarity and certainty in terms of the funding required for the acquisition and the commitments from both the Seller and Buyer.
In addition, the Buyer had strengthened the overall governance and management team and made firm commitments towards meeting the regulatory requirements of the NCA.
Based on that, the NCA in a statement has confirmed that the revised proposal from the Buyer now meets the regulatory threshold and, hence, has granted conditional approval for the transfer of shares to the buyer including the submission of strategies for employee retention.
The NCA, however, assured the general public and all stakeholders that it would continue to work with Vodafone Ghana and the buyer to complete all outstanding regulatory requirements to ensure a smooth transition as well as continuity of service delivery and improved choice for consumers and competition within the industry.