Ghana, like any other country with ambition to attain the heights of socio-economic development and improve the well-being of the people, has, within the past two decades, liberalised many areas of the economy.
The intention has primarily been to stimulate competition and attract more capital and the requisite human resource into enterprises so that the people can enjoy better services at cheaper and competitive prices.
The telecommunications sector, undoubtedly, is one area of the economy that has enjoyed the fastest growth and development within the period, attracting a significant number of operators.
Indeed, such has been the competition among the various players in the industry that they are trying to outdo one another not only in the crafting of new products but also in the reduction of call tariffs, a development which has sparked what many call price wars in the sector.
All these have functioned to the benefit of the consumer, while many good things have followed.
Meanwhile, in the wake of this development, some people whose motives and dispositions are anything but noble have also entered the system, albeit through the back door, to try and exploit it to their selfish advantage.
We recall that only recently, the Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, lamented the loss of substantial revenue to both the telecom companies and the State through what he termed the actions of fraudsters operating outside the regular system.
But, thank God, today the cover has been blown off one such miscreant and the magnitude of the fraud and the modus operandi of those fraudsters have puzzled many.
The police, at a press conference in Accra yesterday, revealed that a Ghanaian said to have resided in Italy for the past 23 years had been arrested for engaging in the illegal termination of international telephone traffic at his hideout at Achimota.
He was said to have had in his possession at the time of his arrest 3,869 SIM cards, mainly from Vodafone and Zain, in addition to sophisticated telecom equipment such as a Cisso Router, Telles I Gate, etc (see front page story).
The Daily Graphic, like all well-meaning and patriotic Ghanaians, is elated at this development and wishes to congratulate the Ghana Police Service, under the leadership of the IGP, Paul Tawiah Quaye, on chalking up this splendid feat.
Notwithstanding the existence of a few bad lots in the service, we have always held the belief that our Police Service is one of the most competent in the world and that given the fair opportunity to exhibit their expertise, the personnel will stand out for all to acknowledge them.
We regard the arrest as a vindication of the government’s decision to mandate the National Communications Authority (NCA) to put in measures to intensify its fraud watch activities over the telecom operators in the country.
It bears eloquent testimony to the wisdom of the government and the NCA in implementing the Consolidated International Gateway Project in June this year which has already netted significant revenue for the State, revenue which had been ending up in the pockets of miscreants and nation wreckers.
Since these matters have been demonstrated beyond doubt that they are in the national interest, we would want to appeal to all, including the telecom companies, consumers, the NCA, government officials and the public to be readily forthcoming with information so that together we break the back of these fraudsters whose actions threaten the peace, order, stability and progress of the nation.
At a time when the government needs all the revenue it can get to prosecute its programme of qualitative uplift of the lives of the people to befit the status of a middle-income nation, the last thing we must countenance is the nefarious activities that undermine the viability of enterprises that contribute to the Consolidated Fund.
It is time up for all such miscreants and they will know no sleep.
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