Accra, Nov 13, GNA -Mr David Venn, the new Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Telecom/Vodafone said on Thursday that Vodafone is in the country to change the telecom market.

He made the statement at his first meeting with journalists to introduce himself and his vision for the company. Mr Venn, formerly the CEO of Celtel Zambia, said his focus for Vodafone Ghana would be to build a very strong total communications company that would bring world class services into the local market. "We will earn the respect and trust of the Ghanaian community by turning Ghana Telecom with the local staff into a world class company," he said.

He noted that the next five years promised major changes in the telecom industry in Ghana and Vodafone was poised to be at the head of that change.

He said whereas each of the five multi-nationals in the market were capable of acquiring modern technology, the difference among them would be quality service and the choices they had to offer subscribers. Mr Venn said Vodafone Ghana would tap into the wide range of services in the Vodafone group and bring them to bear on the local market.

"When our competitors see what we are doing they will step up," he boasted.

Mr Venn said as part of measures to put Vodafone at the head of the telecom industry, 800 of the local staff members have been sent on various courses both in the country and abroad and 45 management staff members have also been sent to Vodafone operations around the world to acquire skills.

"I personally prefer coaching, developing and working with a local management team to hiring new staff," he said. He said part of the Vodafone strategy would be to strike co-location deals with the other operators to save money and also to maintain some tidiness in the environment. Mr Venn also assured the public that corporate social responsibility was top on his list and very soon Vodafone would bring some exciting things into the market. He, however, stopped short of saying when the re-branding of GT to Vodafone would take place and what exactly the name of the company would be after the re-branding.

Mr Venn pointed out that Ghana Telecom still remained Ghana Telecom in terms of staff.

Major Albert Don-Chebe, Public Relations Director of the company, said even though the Sale and Purchase Agreement required that the Ghana Telecom University be turned into a public university, the company would continue to support the university substantially.