20 April 2020

The prime minster of Burkina Faso, Christophe Dabiré, has described Orange’s proposed price hike as “unacceptable”.

The French operator Orange notified its customers that it would increase tariffs by 2.04% from February 17. The increase follows the introduction of the government’s 2020 Finance Act, which raises operator revenue tax from 5% to 7%. However, in a post on Twitter, Dabiré expressed disappointment that Orange had acted without first airing its concerns to his administration: “Without a study proving the tax burden on the telecom sector is excessive, the government will not accept any increase linked to the adoption of the finance bill,” he wrote.

Dasmané Traoré, head of the consumer interest group Ligue des Consommateurs du Burkina, urged customers to boycott Orange if the price hike was implemented. “This increase is unjustified and shows contempt for consumers … especially as we face issues with poor network quality,” he said. Burkina Faso became the 20th country to join Orange’s footprint in Africa and the Middle East (MEA) in 2017.