Investigations conducted by FORUM NEWS on the internal operations of Qcell Sierra Leone (Qcell SL) reveals that stands accused of breaching major sections of the country’s Local Content Policy (LCP). The telecommunication company is accused of escalating the trending unemployment rates in Sierra Leone through the illegal creation of jobs meant to be offered Sierra Leoneans for Gambian nationals.

This contradicts government and development – private and public sector drivers’ relentless strive in reducing the joblessness of young Sierra Leonean graduates in diverse sectors, including the very telecommunication industry where Qcell-SL is bent on rendering trained and qualified Sierra Leoneans unemployed for the benefits of Gambians, Indians and other foreign nationals who are gainfully employed by the Qcell SL mobile phone company.

Since the end of the civil war to date, Sierra Leone continues to battle with unemployment especially of young people.

The country’s Local Content Policy makes it very much mandatory that foreign companies registered and operating in Sierra Leone must ensure that Sierra Leoneans staff shall form part of strategic management and administrative positions in the running of the daily affairs of such foreign business entities. Failure to comply with the mandatory provisions defaulters shall face penalties in the form of fines.

The policy also makes it compulsory that foreign staff should not dominate Sierra Leonean staffers as it is ongoing at Qcell SL.

Internal sources also revealed that Qcell SL employed eighteen (18) employees of which majority are Gambians. Investigations furthered revealed that top management and administrative positions are dominated by foreign nationals including Gambians, while Sierra Leoneans serve as underdogs, with little or no involvements in the management affairs of the company. This contravenes company’s deceitful slogan Qcell SL ‘Salone Pride’ in that, the foreign telecommunication entity does not serve in the best interests of Sierra Leoneans but its foreign owner Gambians.

“We are frequently humiliated, abused and most times dismissed unnecessarily for unwarranted reasons,” Sierra Leonean staffers with Qcell SL told this investigator.

The dissatisfied workers who have already made up their minds explained that they work directly under the supervisions of Gambians and other foreign nationals with less competence. They have thus decided to ignore most of the unnecessary humiliations and abuses they continue encounter in the hands of their co-workers owing to the difficulties associated with search for jobs in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leoneans working for Qcell-SL strongly holds the view that since the company commenced operations Sierra Leone in 2006 to date, the company only maintain gainfully employed full time 18 Sierra Leoneans as local staff.

With over 17 years of business experience in Sierra Leone coupled with company’s presence in all districts of the country, many are of the strongest opinion that Qcell-SL should have increased their employment rates of Sierra Leoneans.

Unlike, Africell Sierra Leone and Orange Sierra Leone telecommunication companies who have over the years set the bar high in ensuring that Sierra Leoneans are strategically placed at top management and administrative positions.

Local staff thus opined that the good examples of Africell SL and Orange SL should be emulated by Qcell SL through mass hiring of competent Sierra Leoneans to work with the company as in compliance with the Local Content Policy.

With the quality of services offered by Qcell SL continues to open bad markets for the two oldest giant telecommunication companies.

With 15 customer centers across the country, the company continues to deliver their customers seamless voice and video calls and internet service on mobile phones.

This medium in subsequent edition will expose major skeleton in the cupboard of the African owned telecommunication company.

The company is also on records as the first mobile company to conduct a soft launch by offering services not only in the capital city but provincial headquarters towns with a 3G mobile internet service as well as enhance voice and services.

Qcell was the first company to launch 4G Mixam Internet in The Gambia.

History also has it that in May of 2017, Qcell launched the first and only 4G LTE mobile internet in The Gambia.

Research noted that that the said technology is only available in few countries in African due to the high investment cost.

Meanwhile efforts at reaching the management of Qcell SL for their comment on the issue of allegations of hiring foreign workers and Gambians placed at top management positions proved futile.