Africell Sierra Leone Chief Executive Officer, Shadi Gerjawi, has reaffirmed the telecommunications company’s commitment to placing customers at the centre of its operations, stressing that no product can be considered successful if it fails to satisfy the people using it.
Speaking during Africell’s nationwide Customer Experience (ACE) Media Tour, Shadi Gerjawi said customer opinions, experiences and concerns remain essential to the company’s efforts to develop and improve its products and services.
“It doesn’t matter what product we have; if the customers are not happy with it, it means we don’t have a good product,” Shadi Gerjawi stated.
He explained that the telecommunications industry is constantly changing as customers’ communication and digital needs continue to evolve. Africell, he said, regularly reaches out to communities to hear directly from customers, understand their expectations and identify the challenges affecting their access to services.
According to Shadi Gerjawi, customer engagement has been part of Africell’s operational strategy for the past five years. Through the ACE initiative, the company deploys directors, managers and other staff members to radio and television stations, markets, streets and public spaces to interact with customers.
Those engagements enable Africell representatives to explain the company’s products and services while providing customers with opportunities to ask questions, make recommendations and raise complaints.
Shadi Gerjawi acknowledged that the feedback received during such engagements often provides the company with a list of issues requiring further attention. He said the concerns are taken back to the appropriate departments for review and possible action.
The Africell CEO also highlighted the company’s continued investment in innovation, accessibility and digital inclusion. He cited Africell’s introduction of 3G and 4G technologies, preparations towards 5G services, Fibre-to-the-Home connectivity and the expansion of Afrimoney.
He also pointed to the company’s partnership with Sierratel under a Mobile Virtual Network Operator arrangement, which forms part of wider efforts to strengthen telecommunications services across Sierra Leone.
Beyond commercial services, Shadi Gerjawi highlighted Africell’s investment in social-impact initiatives. Those include KidZone, a platform designed to help protect children online and the company’s partnership with the Milton Margai School for the Blind.
He said the programmes demonstrate Africell’s determination to remain innovative, inclusive and responsive to the different needs of Sierra Leoneans.
The nationwide ACE Media Tour, held on Thursday, 13 August, brought Africell representatives closer to customers through live radio and television discussions. The engagements covered the company’s products and services, Afrimoney operations, employment opportunities, corporate social responsibility programmes and network expansion plans.
Members of the public were also allowed to seek clarification, report difficulties and receive direct responses from company officials.
Africell described the initiative as more than a conventional media tour, saying it represents an ongoing conversation between the company and the people who depend on its network and digital services.
After more than two decades of operations in Sierra Leone, Africell says its growth has been driven by customer trust, affordable services, innovation and value for money.
Shadi Gerjawi assured customers that the company would continue listening to their concerns and using their feedback to improve service delivery. He emphasized that maintaining customer satisfaction will remain central to Africell’s mission of providing reliable, affordable and accessible telecommunications services across Sierra Leone.
