Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Sammuel Nartey George, has justified his recent comments advising Ghanaians to check their phone settings amid growing concerns over rapid data depletion.

In a video shared on X by @The1957news on Friday, July 25, the minister noted that his office does not take complaints lightly.

“Data is engineering. You understand? I want evidence. You can’t use sentiments as a minister to make policy decisions. It has to be based on hardcore evidence,” he stated.

The minister has come under public scrutiny after suggesting in an earlier interview that some complaints may stem from individual phone or app settings.

He has since clarified that his position is not to dismiss consumer concerns but to ensure thorough investigations are conducted before conclusions are drawn.

“Every single person I’ve seen complain, sometimes even on Twitter, I tag the NCA and the network directly and ask for investigations,” he said, adding that he is personally following up on specific cases.

“Once you complain, I don’t just sit back in the Ministry and say you are lying. I make us conduct an investigation,” he said.

Sam George further noted that in some cases, reports from the telcos and the National Communications Authority (NCA) have traced data losses to device settings or newly installed applications, many of which come with advanced features, including artificial intelligence.

“People fail to realise they’re using newer apps that behave differently from the ones they were using five or eight years ago. Most of them don’t read the permissions or features when downloading these apps,” he added.

The minister emphasised the need for fairness and due process, saying that he cannot penalise companies simply because of social media complaints.

“As a minister, I can’t be punishing companies because someone tweeted. Ghana is open for business, and we can’t be fighting businesses but I’m committed to protecting the rights of citizens,” he stated.

According to him, any telco found culpable of any data manipulation tactics would be sanctioned appropriately.

“Show me evidence, and I will find that company and make a scapegoat of them,” he assured.

The minister privately shared with the blogger an ongoing communication thread between himself, a telco executive, and the NCA regarding a customer complaint.

“When I say I’m working on these complaints, there is real evidence,” he said.

His comments follow mounting complaints from Ghanaians about unexplained data usage, with many alleging that internet bundles are vanishing without active usage. 

AS/VPO

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