“After 72 hours, if ever the authorities do not give any feedback, we will be forced to be in the streets, all over the country to say no until the point of bringing the matter before the Council of State. We will do everything we can.” 

 These words are from Joël Lamika. He is at the head of “Consumers aggrieved”, a national movement operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

His threat relates to the establishment of the Mobile Device Registry (RAM). RAM is a device put in place by the Congolese government to officially fight against counterfeiting. Through it, a tax amounting to around US $8 is levied on mobile phone devices in the country. Although the authorities say that this system brings safety to the consumers, many Congolese have some doubts.

“It’s an anti-social decision,” says Joel. “The Congolese state has no interest in taxing the end user of a pirate phone; it is appropriate to tax the importer of pirate phones. They have proven enough to us that they do not understand the difference between SIMs that are placed in a modem and SIMs that are placed in a telephone. The tax is worth about $ 8… which is really too much. When you go to Rwanda it is a service that is offered by the Rwandan state for free.”

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Joël Lamika and his movement intend to meet with the President of the Republic himself to demand the removal of the measure. They refer to the fact that the Congolese end consumer has to fulfill an obligation which should be that of the importer only. “Aggrieved consumers” are also complaining about the high cost of telecom services in the DRC.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer