Parliament Demands Investigation into Alleged Overcharging by Orange-SL
By Benjamin S. Conteh
In the seventh sitting of Sierra Leone’s Sixth Parliament, held on Monday, November 4, 2024, Deputy Speaker Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh voiced strong concerns over alleged exploitative charges imposed by telecommunications provider Orange Sierra Leone. Representing Western Area Urban, Hon. Tawa underscored his commitment to transparency and accountability, highlighting that the network company’s fees disproportionately burden citizens, whom he argued are being unfairly charged.
Despite previous summons to the House of Legislature, Hon. Tawa stated that Orange Sierra Leone has yet to take adequate steps to rectify its pricing, despite a recent reduction in tariffs. This reduction, he asserted, falls short of meeting the expectations of citizens in terms of service quality and affordability. In response, Hon. Tawa directed a parliamentary committee, which he had established on Thursday, October 31, 2024, to investigate the company’s practices further and provide recommendations.
“It’s clear from this recent price reduction just one percent that Orange has been overcharging our citizens,” Hon. Tawa declared, urging the committee to scrutinize the company’s pricing structure in greater depth. He revealed that the company’s weekly MiFi package, previously set at 75 New Leones (NLe) for a speed of 3.5 Mbps, has been reduced to 70 NLe, with a diminished speed of 2.5 Mbps. For many, this adjustment remains inadequate given the country’s ongoing economic hardships.
Hon. Tawa’s comments echoed the sentiment that Parliament remains committed to safeguarding citizens’ rights and ensuring they receive fair value for the services they pay for. The committee tasked with this investigation includes the chair of Parliament’s Communications Committee and other parliamentary representatives, who are expected to report back with their findings and recommendations on this critical issue.
This parliamentary inquiry marks an important step as citizens look to their representatives to challenge practices that they feel exploit their limited resources. Parliament’s focus on Orange Sierra Leone signals a strong message to service providers on the need for fair pricing and quality services, especially in the face of economic strain. The investigation aims to address whether the telecommunications company is indeed prioritizing profits over fair service delivery, ensuring that customers receive the quality they pay for.
