Reduce prices of handsets to reflect tax regime - Kwaku Sakyi-Addo

The Chief Executive Officer of the Telecommunications Chamber, Mr Kwaku Sakyi Addo, has asked mobile phone distribution companies to ensure that the prices of their devices reflect the recent reduction in import duties on mobile handsets from 20 per cent to 10 per cent.

He explained that the reduction in import duties to reflect what pertained in the ECOWAS community was the result of series of dialogues with the government.

“Today, we are happy to say that our efforts have not been in vain. Following our persistent dialogue with government and relevant key stakeholders such as the ministries of Communications and Finance, the government’s tax regime has been aligned with that of ECOWAS under the Common External Tariff (CET),” he said at the luanch of the TECNO Phantom 6 and 6 Plus in Accra.

He explained that the alignment had reduced the import duty on handsets from 20 per cent to 10 per cent while removing the Valued Added Tax (VAT) on handsets.

“We are confident that original equipment dealers such as Tecno will ensure that these reductions reflect in the price tag of devices,” he noted.

He said the reduction in prices was needed to help ensure that many Ghanaians could afford handsets to help improve upon their lives.

Phantom devices

The Phantom 6 comes with upgrades such as the slimmest dual rear lens mobile phone.

It also boasts a Sony 13 megapixels camera, an expanded storage space for better operations, running on a three Gigabyte Ram and 32 Gigabyte ROM expandable to 128 Gigabyte.

The Phantom 6 plus also comes with a 6.0 inch In-Plane Switching (IPS) touch display and has Tecno’s first tri-fold security which includes a fingerprint, eye scanner, and trust look antivirus.

Market budget

The General Manager, Business, at TECNO Mobile, Mr Daniel Glover,  said the company would be investing $1 million into marketing its devices to prospectives customers nationwide.

He said the amount would be used to publicise the company’s devices in both the traditional and emerging media while ensuring that dealers in TECNO mobile phones were properly supported to increase their sales.

He said the $1 million investment was in line with efforts aimed at making TECNO the number one brand in the country and Africa as a whole.

Mr Glover explained that the company entered the African mobile space with a strong desire to dominate the market. 

“When TECNO entered the mobile phone market in Africa, mobile phone penetration rate in Africa was six per cent.”

“Today, it has risen to 80 per cent and TECNO mobile being a major driver of this development is already servicing over 35 African countries while retaining the largest market share of 25.3 per cent across six major African markets,” he stated.