BY NDUMBE BELL GASTON
The new Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board, Philemon Zo’o Zame was appointed by Presidential decree last Thursday June 8. Philemon Z. Zame replaces Jean Louis Beh Mengue who has manned that position for 18 years since it’s inception in 1999. He is expected to be a very strong and dynamic personality to guarantee equal and equity judgement towards all the operators of the sector, especially the rights of the final consumer who is unfortunately known to be the weaker or vulnerable actor in the chain of operations.
According to the principles or ethics of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, a good regulator has as mission to promote fair competition to all network operators, and quality service to protect the final consumer according to, and in respect of, the regulations in force.
During her installation speech, the Minister of Post and Telecommunications Minette Libom Li Likeng declared that the promotion to a new post of responsibility represented a mark of satisfaction, but the promoted should not lie on his laurels, but see this professional facelift as a call to overcome fresh challenges so as to merit the sustained confidence of hierarchy.
In his roadmap, Philemon Zo’o Zame is expected to restore an urgent efficient regulatory mechanism or system for the controls and management of frequencies, design a strategy for the protection of consumers with particular emphasis on resolving customer complaints, the implementation of sanctions on telecommunications operators and the effective improvement of board management so as to quicken and realize foreseeable results.
Just before his latest appointment Zame had much experience in TIC and Telecommunications. Earlier, he had been Secretary General of the Minister of Work’s since 2010. In 1999, he played the role of Attaché to the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic and was in charge of the infrastructural Sector of the Economic Division. He also took part in the restructuring of then CAMAIR, the transport sector generally, including maritime transport and the petrol, mining and energy sectors, in brief.