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The national
operator has brought in the big guns in
an ambitious bid to recover former prestige
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Gambians can’t get enough of modern communications
and are behind a soaring demand for new services
If there is one thing that Neneh Macdouall-Gaye,
Michael Tenn (INTERVIEW)
and Rein Zwolsman (INTERVIEW)
have in common it is the belief that telecommunications
will play a pivotal part in the development
of The Gambia, and that Gambians are hungry
for connectivity. Neneh Macdouall-Gaye, Secretary
of State for Communications, Information and
Technology, a new state department set up by
President Jammeh to oversee the sector’s
growth, calls it “a catalyst for development,
underpinning the growth of all sectors, social
or economic, public or private.”
“The power of ICT as an engine of growth
cannot be stopped and delaying it only puts
us at the back of the global race. ICT is critical
for competitiveness just as the combustion engine
was during the industrial revolution, when the
countries that embraced it are recognized today
as the developed world,” says the Secretary.
Rein Zwolsman, who heads up the finance department
for the national operator GAMTEL, says there
is a huge demand for Internet connection in
the country, and although rates are reasonable,
it really wouldn’t matter. Gambians are
determined to have access, and this can mean
only one thing – there is an Internet boom
on the horizon, and one that is going to propel
economic development in a way that has not been
witnessed before.
“There is a huge demand for CDMA, which
allows people to get online. Computers are getting
cheaper by the day. There is high potential
demand, and rates are not very high so it is
affordable to a lot of people. Of course, the
amount of money people spend is not the same
but people are able to find the money to make
those calls, one way or the other, because it
increases the quality of their lives, even if
they are small farmers. If they want to sell
their product, they need to know what the market
price is. There is always a demand for information.
The moment that people can access the information
they need from other places, their income and
the quality of their lives will increase,”
he says.
Consequently, the correlation between income,
revenue and telecommunication density is a straight
line, according to Zwolsman, who adds, “Everywhere
on the continent, tele-density is rising. People
need to access this information and they are
prepared to pay for it.”
Michael Tenn, GAMTEL’s CEO and also head
of Spectrum International, a Beirut-based telecommunications
giant which bought 50% of GAMTEL last year,
says that strong telecoms infrastructure also
benefits development by creating a better environment
for investors.
He remarks, “Telecommunication is surely
a main driver for any economy and it’s
a key indicator of its growth. The better telecom
infrastructure you have and the better services
you provide encourage investors to come in,
as this is a main necessity nowadays. It facilitates
their establishment and operation within the
country.”
For this reason, Spectrum’s participation
in GAMTEL was one of the most newsworthy events
of 2007 in the country. Indicative of the government’s
emphasis on the importance of ICT development,
the move was intended to bring GAMTEL up to
international standards, and to improve accessibility
throughout the country. It followed on the heels
of the outsourcing of the company’s management
to Detecon International, one of the world’s
top consulting firms for management and technology
and a subsidiary of T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom’s
cellular arm.
“The government made the decision to
liberalize and divest 50% of the company, and
to outsource the top management to a reputable
company. Detecon are experts in managing telecom
companies. It is a big company with offices
in Johannesburg, South Africa and Sydney, Australia,
which are run by highly recruited teams of leading
consultants and software and telecom engineers.
Detecon is active in many African countries
either as consultants or managers. Here at GAMTEL,
we have the responsibility to run the company
for the next two years,” explains Zwolsman.
The injection of new capital and new know-how
came at an opportune time for GAMTEL. The company,
which once enjoyed regional prominence, had
begun to suffer from its incumbent status. As
the sector liberalized, it lost ground to newer
companies entering the market. This is a trend
that CEO Michael Tenn plans to put an end to.
He states, “GAMTEL is a key company in
the country. Years back, it was known to be
the number one in the region. We do not want
to brag much about a success until we have credibility
behind it. When we tell the customer that we
are going to provide them good services, it
means we are committed and ready to answer to
their needs. When we say that we will gain market
share that means I can back it up with real
facts and figures. We are housecleaning first,
getting things in shape, then we will get our
message across loud and clear.”
