Trade Ministry empowers Vodafone to fight cable thieves

Vodafone Ghana’s quest to eradicate communication cable thefts across the country has received a huge boost from the Trade Ministry.
In a welcome move, the Ministry has given Vodafone the administrative authority to inspect all scrap exports leaving the shores of Ghana. This is to ensure that they are rid of communication cables. Additionally, this directive makes it illegal for anyone to deal in Vodafone’s cables in the country.
All major scrap exporters have been made aware of this and understand the consequences a breach will have on their business. Plans are also underway to pass on the information to domestic scrap dealers nationwide.
Vodafone has been grappling with thefts to its communication cables for some time now. As the only telecommunications company operating a fixed network, the company spends about GHS1.5million on replacing stolen copper cables annually.
Between April 2015 and February 2016, the company recorded about 183 incidents of cable thefts; a situation which adversely affects the overall operation of the company and its commitment to give customers a better network experience.
The partnership with the Trade Ministry is viewed as an excellent intervention to finally bring sanity and efficiency to Vodafone’s fixed network operations.
Commenting, Gayheart Mensah, Director of External Affairs at Vodafone Ghana said:
“Our commitment to curbing this menace is unquestionable. The implications of such thefts extend beyond Vodafone as a company. The impact is felt across all facets of life including; businesses, security communication networks, medical centers, homes, industries and even revenues accruing to Government. We are grateful to the Trade Ministry for agreeing to collaborate with us to ensure we get rid of this practise once and for all.”
 
In a related development, Vodafone, the Judicial Services department and the Ghana Police Service have introduced a dedicated Cable court in Accra and Kumasi to exclusively prosecute cable theft cases.