Niger : Charges of 10 Francs on phone calls and Internet packages begin this Thursday
On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, the Vice President of Solidarity for the Safeguarding of the Nation (FSSP) announced during a press briefing the launch of a levy of 10 Francs on telephone calls and internet packages starting on Thursday, January 25.
This levy is justified by the implementation of Ordinance 20-23/18 of December 21, 2023, amending and supplementing Ordinance 20-23/13 of October 11, 2023, establishing the Solidarity Fund for the Safeguarding of the Nation (FSSP). Thus, a levy of 10 Francs will be imposed on each phone call and subscription to voice and internet packages through mobile telecommunication companies Airtel, Moov, Niger Telecom, and Zamani.
According to the FSSP Vice President, for phone calls, the 10 Francs levy will be applied from a base of 12 Francs from the credit available on the customer’s main account. For subscription to packages, levies will be applied to all subscriptions above the 200 Francs packages.
Brah Amadou explained that the reasons for the modifications are « firstly, legal, after consultations with professionals, it was recommended that in an ordinance, there cannot be consent to the levy. Socio-professional consultations and discussions with civil society actors in the media strongly recommended that there be a systematic levy on call and internet package subscriptions, eliminating the consent part ».
« On the mobilization side of the old mechanism with consent after 100 days of statistics, we recorded 50.000 subscriptions for a collection of at least 20 million. Also, based on the experience with other countries of the Sahel States Alliance (AES) that have the same mechanism applied in their countries, for example, in Burkina Faso, 5% is levied on all voice and internet package subscriptions, and in Mali, they are at 10% », Brah Amadou explained.
It’s worth noting that the FSSP has gained popular support with donations from well-wishers. Every day, Nigeriens show their support through contributions in numbers and in kind. This levy is expected to provide financial support to the CNSP (National Council for the Safeguarding of the People) to fulfill some of its obligations to the people of Niger.
