Coalition of Civil Society Organizations survey mobile networks in Bamenda

The survey was presented to the Bamenda public at the Ayaba Hotel on August 26, 2015. Presenting the survey results assessing the services offered to consumers/impact on job creation by telecommunication industry within North West, Awah Cletus Fobuzi disclosed that questionnaires were carried on three thousand consumers of products and services. The survey involved MTN, ORANGE, NEXTTEL and CAMTEL.

According to the Awah Cletus the survey seeks to ascertain the impact on job creation by the industry as well as its contribution in corporate giving.

Though some services of the various providers had been very vital, he noted that some had left consumers with huge liabilities. He mentioned the fact that it is common to put phones side by side in an area, with the screen indicating that there is network on both phones but when you make a call, a recorded voice tells you the number is not available. Besides, call breakages and undue drops are a common phenomenon.

Harping on the corporate social responsibility of these companies, the survey raises doubts as to why a company that makes more than FCFA 1.5 billion in the region per month does not even employ more than 15 workers.

Yet same survey also showed that due to bad network, they lost close to 3000 customers. The report also noticed a complete absence of corporate giving by these companies. More so, there is discrimination in the employment of workers especially Anglophones.

However, the survey also prescribed some remedies to the prevailing situation as well as suggested how it could be exploited by stakeholders of the industry to optimize services offered to customers in order to profit all.