In Mali, the transitional authorities are demanding from Sotelma the price of renewing its license, and quickly. Two operators share the telephone market in Mali: Orange and Malitel. Malitel is the name that remains in use, but the brand has been called Moov Africa since 2021, it is operated by the company Sotelma, a subsidiary of the Maroc Telecom Group. Sotelma is therefore being asked for 160 billion CFA francs (245 million euros) to be able to continue operating in the country. Except that the State owes money to Sotelma, and that a standoff is beginning.
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The letter, dated October 14 and signed by Alousseni Sanou, the Minister of Economy himself, is stamped “ confidential “. But it is circulating and could be authenticated by RFI. The minister indicates to the general director of Sotelma a strict timetable for payment for the renewal of the license: 80 billion CFA francs (approximately 123 million euros) by October 20, 40 billion by December 31 and another 40 billion as of March 31, 2025.
In total, this represents 160 billion CFA francs. In 2017, Orange only spent 100 billion for the renewal of its own license. That of Sotelma, acquired in 2009 by the Maroc Telecom Group during the privatization of the company, expires this year.
At the same time, the Malian state owes money to Sotelma, and Sotelma wants the amount to be deducted from the license price. Clear refusal from Minister Alousseni Sanou who, according to the same document, explains that it is a question of “ charges of different natures whose amounts have not yet been validated. »
“ The state treasury is not at its best », analyzes a Malian economist on condition of anonymity, who believes that the transitional authorities are seeking resources from those who have them: the multinationals.
How much do the State owe to Sotelma? How far could this dispute go? How threatened is the renewal of Sotelma’s license? Asked by RFI, neither Sotelma nor the Ministry of the Economy wished to comment at this stage.
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