FEES DISPUTE
Benin frequency fees row sidelines MTN chief
Five months after he was ordered to leave the country, MTN’s CEO for Benin has still not been able to return amid a dispute over frequency fees. The mobile operator’s country head, Stephen Blewett, was told to leave Benin in November 2017 because he had engaged in "activities detrimental to security and public order", the state said. Nearly half a year later, he remains, in effect, in exile. The expulsion came as MTN was threatened with sanctions over outstanding fees, which it deemed to be excessive. Analysts agree, saying the government’s request for $213m worth of frequency fees for 2016 and 2017 was exorbitant, since that amounts to nearly three-times MTN’s annual earnings in the country. "We continue to have positive engagements with the government of Benin," an MTN spokesperson told Business Day, confirming that Blewett "remains outside of Benin". "As our discussions with the relevant authorities are ongoing, it would not be appropriate to speculate on any possible outcomes of...
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