The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Orange Sierra Leone (OSL), Mr. Sekou Amadou Bah has clarified that the company did not increase its tariffs, contrary to public concerns circulating in recent weeks.
Appearing before a joint Parliamentary Committee on Wednesday, 19th November 2025, the Orange Sierra Leone CEO, Sekou Amadou Bah explained that what many citizens perceived as a tariff hike was, in fact, a promotion exclusive to the Maxim platform.
The meeting, held in Committee Room One in the House of Parliament, brought together the Parliamentary Committee on Communication and Innovation, chaired by Hon. Boston Munda and the Committee on Transparency and Accountability chaired by Hon. Ambrose Maada Lebbie.
It attracted stakeholders including Members of Parliament, civil society representatives, and the media.
During his presentation, the Orange CEO disclosed that the company communicated the promotion extensively through 32 press releases and 37 radio stations nationwide. Mr. Bah noted that if the company had intended to introduce a new tariff, it would have done so publicly and transparently.
He further explained that Orange purchases internet bandwidth from ZoodLabs, and that increased network usage especially after launching certain projects had led to congestion on the system. The introduction of the “unlimited midnight browsing for NLe5” offer was intended to ease daytime congestion, shifting heavy traffic to off-peak hours.
“About 90% of our customers are not using the unlimited service,” he said. “So the question becomes: do we optimize the network, or do we take the risk of continued congestion? There was indeed congestion, and our actions were aimed at addressing thatnot increasing prices.”
He reiterated firmly: “We didn’t increase any tariffs.”
This position was supported by Hon. Suliaman Murray Conteh, Chairman of the Legislative Committee, who confirmed that the company had not introduced any tariff increments.
Civil society representative Alphonso Manley also backed the CEO’s explanation, stating that the public misunderstanding resulted more from Orange’s business model than from any deliberate price increase.
The Director General of the National Telecommunications Authority (NaTCA), Mr. Amara Brewa, told the committee that NaTCA was fully aware of the promotion and had urged Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to properly inform the public an instruction he said Orange Sierra Leone complied with.
In his remarks, Hon. Boston Munda emphasized that Parliament is committed to protecting the interests of the people of Sierra Leone while also ensuring a conducive environment for investors.
“Parliament is a House of integrity. We will not drive away investors, including Orange Sierra Leone, but we expect transparent engagement from all parties,” he said.
Hon. Munda concluded by advising Orange Sierra Leone to engage in a tête-à-tête discussion with NaTCA to explore immediate and long-term strategies for improving network quality and internet accessibility for all users across the country.