AirtelTigo Debt: Sam George Slams Past Leadership for Reckless Acquisition

Minister for Communications, Samuel Nartey George, has authorized the dismissal of about 100 staff of Ghana Post Company Limited as part of a broader restructuring initiative within the ministry and its agencies. Sam George emphasized his commitment to streamlining operations to make the ministry cost-effective and efficient.

Speaking to the press, he said although people have raised questions about the staff rationalization ongoing at the ministry, he will continue to clean up the ministry and make sure it is lean and efficient. He said he took over a ministry with about 3,117 staff, with 600 of these staff recruited after December 7. He said he has authorized the termination of almost 100 staff today, March 25th, 2025. 

He said, “If you are a minister and you take over a ministry that has 3,117 staff in the ministry and its agencies and you realize that almost 600 of them were recruited after December 7th, basically, you cannot expect me to come and inherit such mess and continue with it. And so the rationalization is ongoing.”

“Today, I have authorized the termination of a few more at Ghana Post, almost 100, that were done post-December 7th. And we’ll continue this rationalization. I will clean up the ministry, make sure it is lean and efficient, and carries out its work,” he added.

AirtelTigo Debt Burden on Ghana

Sam George also criticized former Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu, over the state’s acquisition of AirtelTigo. He described the move as reckless, arguing that it has left Ghana burdened with a significant financial liability.

“I’ve taken over the ministry and ATC, American Tower Company, just one of the companies AirtelTigo owes, brought us a bill of 1.5 billion Ghana cedis. And that’s just ATC alone.”

He further highlighted that the American ambassador, along with a team, recently visited his office, raising concerns over AirtelTigo’s debt obligations.

“The debt sitting on the books of AirtelTigo is in excess of 3.5 billion Ghana cedis,” Sam George revealed.

Concerns Over Financial Management

The minister questioned the rationale behind the acquisition, stressing that Ghana has now inherited a substantial debt that continues to accumulate interest.

“If someone told you they bought it for $1, who is going to pay the 3.5 billion Ghana cedis that’s sitting there and growing, accruing interest? And that’s why I say those who carried out that action lack any sense of patriotism,” he stated.

According to him, most of the debt was originally accumulated by Millicom, a private American company that previously owned Tigo, and Bharti Airtel, an Indian company. He criticized the manner in which the transaction was handled, emphasizing that it was irresponsible.

“To show you how irresponsible the actions were, after they have absorbed the company and the debt and put it on the balance sheet of the government of Ghana, now they attempted to drop the assets of the company into a new vehicle. And they were engaging with Bharti Airtel again, to let Bharti Airtel come and take the clean company as a new company,” he added.