Minister Salima Bah Highlights Digital Milestones While Zoodlabs Faces Intense Public Scrutiny

By Amin Kef (Ranger)

 The Minister of Communications, Technology and Innovation, Salima Monorma Bah, has outlined the significant strides her Ministry has made over the past year, with a particular focus on improving internet connectivity across Sierra Leone. Speaking at a Press Conference organized by the Ministry of Information and Civil Education on Tuesday August 13, 2024 at the Foreign Affairs Ministry Conference Hall, she emphasized the Government’s commitment to enhancing digital infrastructure as part of President Julius Maada Bio’s vision.

Minister Salima Bah underscored that access to the internet is considered a basic human right in the modern age and that substantial investments have been made by both the Government and the private sector to improve infrastructure. She highlighted the roles of three key entities—Zoodlabs, Leonecom Limited and Metro Cable—in facilitating internet access nationwide.

She described Zoodlabs as a comprehensive technology and smart utility infrastructure company that provides high-speed internet services through a wireless broadband network in Freetown. Leonecom Limited, she explained, is responsible for commercializing Sierra Leone’s terrestrial fiber optic cables, while Metro Cable is the leading provider of high-speed gigabit internet access, working with local service providers to deliver fiber optic broadband to homes and businesses.

However, the Minister acknowledged that challenges persist, particularly concerning recent internet outages. She attributed these disruptions to the intentional or unintentional tampering of undersea fiber optic cables, a problem that has affected connectivity. The Minister revealed that the Government has engaged in discussions with Guinean counterparts to explore collaborative efforts aimed at increasing broadband speed and connectivity.

Mamoud Idriss, a representative of Zoodlabs, praised the Minister for her prompt response to the connectivity issues, describing her efforts as unprecedented. He outlined Zoodlabs’ role in managing the internet highway and noted that the increased number of internet users has heightened sensitivity to connectivity issues and that the fibre cables were laid since 2012 stressing that they have now become old vulnerable to developing problems. He mentioned that Zoodlabs is working to add an additional cable to ensure alternative routes when faults arise, though he clarified that Zoodlabs is not responsible for maintaining the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable. He also mentioned the investment in renewable energy through the installation of solar panels in its operations amounting to a little over $1M to replace the use of generators

Despite these assurances, public dissatisfaction with Zoodlabs has been growing. Many citizens have expressed frustration over the persistent poor internet service, with some calling for immediate Government intervention to investigate Zoodlabs. There is a public outcry for accountability from those who approved the agreement that handed over this critical infrastructure to Zoodlabs.

Zoodlabs, which assumed control of the Cable Landing Station in December 2020 following a parliamentary agreement ratified in April 2022, is now under scrutiny for failing to deliver on its promise to invest $20 million in upgrading the landing station’s outdated equipment. Insiders allege that instead of fulfilling this commitment, the company has relied on bank loans and payments from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to finance its operations. Concerns have also been raised about Zoodlabs’ financial management, particularly regarding the rapid depletion of the Le6 billion in seed money left by the previous operator, SALCAB.

Moreover, critics argue that the annual $450,000 payment Zoodlabs makes to the Government as part of its 15-year lease of the landing station is significantly lower than the company’s monthly revenue, raising questions about the fairness of the deal. The decision to transfer SALCAB’s operations to Zoodlabs had been met with resistance from the Ministry of Finance, which warned of potential risks to the country’s digital infrastructure—concerns that now seem justified as Sierra Leone continues to suffer frequent internet outages under Zoodlabs’ Management.

The recent outage on August 4, 2024, which disrupted data services, international voice calls and other operations for nearly four hours, has only heightened public frustration. Unlike their counterparts in neighboring Liberia, Zoodlabs failed to issue a public explanation or apology, further aggravating the situation.

In response to the growing crisis, the National Communications Authority (NatCA) convened an emergency meeting on August 5, 2024, with key stakeholders, including Zoodlabs, Leonecom, major MNOs and ISPs, to develop a robust short-term redundancy plan and explore alternative routes to enhance internet service resilience.

As scrutiny of Zoodlabs intensifies, Sierra Leoneans are demanding transparency and accountability. The public is questioning why the promised $20 million investment has not materialized and why internet services remain unstable despite Zoodlabs’ substantial revenue.

This investigation into Zoodlabs’ management is not just about uncovering the truth—it is about safeguarding Sierra Leone’s digital future. The people of Sierra Leone deserve reliable and stable internet services, and they are demanding answers.