SWEDISH telecommunications company, Millicom International Cellular SA, has lost ground in its cable and mobile services in Africa.

Millicom, headquartered in Miami, Florida, had its operations in Senegal, Rwanda, and DR Congo, but has since sold its assets for allegedly violating local laws and evading tax. 

However, the company still registers its presence in Tanzania, Ghana, Chad and in Central and South America.

Millicom, under the direction of Mauricio Ramos, has been accused of engaging “in a pattern of abuse demonstrating their disregard for local laws, government institutions and the public welfare with the objective of controlling markets with preferential conditions, to the detriment of competitors, workers, and consumers.”

Although Ramos has always championed Millicom’s commitment to the highest standards of corporate social responsibility, through its Code of Conduct, the company has failed to abide by those standards, according to reports. 

In Chad, one of the countries Millicom dominates, its Tigo network is the only access point for internet and social media for a majority of Chadians. 

Reports also say, Millicom’s Tigo network encroaches on citizens’ privacy in the country with the knowledge of the Chadian government.

Social media was suspended in the Chad for eight months in 2016, during the period leading up to and following the Presidential election.

According to Amnesty International,  internet access was cut off for eight months in advance of elections, and  anonymous SMS messages were sent to the subscribers discouraging their attendance at the opposition rallies against the Chadian government in January 2018. 

In February 2018, customers also received text messages informing them that their phone calls and messages were being monitored.