AT Staff to Be Retained as Gov’t Moves to Merge With Telecel After $10m in Losses

The government has assured all 300 permanent employees of AT (formerly AirtelTigo) that they will be retained as the company merges with Telecel Ghana, in a bid to rescue the struggling operator and strengthen competition in the telecom sector.

“This is not a re-application process. It is a continuation of your contracts. Every one of you will be absorbed, unless you personally choose to leave,” Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George told staff during an engagement at AT’s head office in Accra.

The pledge comes as AT’s financial difficulties deepen, with the operator posting losses of more than $10 million in the first eight months of the year. The minister said the government could not continue to fund unsustainable operations at the expense of taxpayers. “These losses are funded by taxpayers. That is money that should be building roads, water systems, and schools. We cannot keep pouring public funds into unsustainable operations,” he noted.

The merger with Telecel, he explained, is expected to cut costs, remove duplication, and create a more sustainable operator. “It makes no sense for two networks to operate separately on the same tower, both paying twice while both struggle. A merger is the smart and sustainable choice,” he said.

More than 3.2 million AT subscribers have already migrated to Telecel’s network through a national roaming arrangement, which the minister described as “98% smooth.”

Sam George outlined a three-phase integration plan: completion of technical migration, human resource alignment by the end of September, and commercial restructuring within 120 days.

He also flagged an estimated $600 million investment over the next four years to sustain the new operator, to be financed by government contributions through spectrum sales alongside co-investments from Telecel and other partners.

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