BUJUMBURA August 9th (ABP) – The Minister of Communication, Information Technologies and the Media, Mrs. Leocadie Ndacayisaba, accompanied by executives of that ministry, paid, on Tuesday August 8, 2023, in Bujumbura, a working visit to the telecommunications company Econet Leo, to inquire about the various challenges that undermine the proper functioning of the said company, in order to find solutions together aimed at improving the quality of the services it offers to customers.
The Chief Executive Officer of Econet Leo, Nepias Njaravaza, said that the company contributes to the development of the country by paying taxes and providing employment. According to him, through its Higherlife foundation, Econet Leo also intervenes in the education sector by creating learning opportunities through scholarships, learning resources and university preparation, adding that 430 students are being educated by the said company.
Despite this, Mr. Njaravaza said that many challenges haunt the proper functioning of the society. He cited a lot of taxes collected by the government, explaining that they take a large part of their income, which makes the company work “losing money”. He also underlined the difficulty of finding the fuel necessary for the proper functioning of the company. The company needs 40,000 liters of fuel, especially fuel oil per week to operate their antennas installed in the interior of the country. He asked the Minister in charge of communication to plead in their favor so that the Ministry of Energy grants them permission to import the fuel that society needs.
Another challenge it faces is that of closing the bank accounts of Econet Leo’s partner company, called Sasai Fintech.
Reacting to those concerns submitted to her, Minister Ndacayisaba informed the company to approach the Ministry of Energy to obtain that permission to import the fuel necessary for the company. With regard to taxation, she replied that the Ministry of Finance intends to organize a meeting for economic operators, including those working in the field of telecommunications, regulators such as the ARCT and others, to explain to them the recent reforms in taxation and find solutions to the challenges that will arise.
Regarding the closure of the bank accounts of the partner company Sasaifintech, the Minister invited them to continue the dialogue with the State so that a solution can be found. Mrs. Ndacayisaba took the opportunity to thank and encourage the company Econet Leo for its contribution to the development of the country, explaining that the government of Burundi wants those companies to progress because, if they go bankrupt, the country also saves a loss without forgetting people benefiting from their services.