• Cellcom Guinea workers protest layoffs, unpaid salaries, unmet commitments

• Union demands audit, warns of possible administration or liquidation

• Financial strain, declining market share fuel ongoing telecom sector tensions

Tensions are rising at Cellcom Guinea. Employees of the mobile telecom operator met on Thursday, April 16, in Conakry to denounce what they described as abusive layoffs, delayed salary payments and management’s failure to honor multiple commitments.

Workers’ representatives said 23 employees had already lost their jobs on economic grounds they dispute, with 26 additional cuts reportedly under consideration. The Fédération syndicale autonome des télécommunications (FESATEL) called on the government, particularly the ministries in charge of telecommunications and employment, to protect workers from what the union described as mismanagement.

FESATEL Secretary General Abdoulaye Barry said the union would formally approach the authorities as early as next week to demand an audit of Cellcom. He added that the union could also push, if necessary, for the appointment of a provisional administrator and left open the possibility of liquidation, provided workers are reassigned to other companies in the sector.

Financial tensions

The latest labor unrest comes amid worsening financial conditions that have persisted for months. In December 2025, local media reported that Cellcom was already two months behind on salaries. Around the same time, its landlord, WAQF-BID, closed the operator’s offices over unpaid rent accumulated over two to three years, estimated at 14 billion Guinean francs (about $1.6 million). The company later secured a court order to reopen its headquarters, though the dispute remains unresolved.

Pressure persisted into 2026. At the end of January, workers launched fresh industrial action to demand payment of salaries owed for December and January, along with year-end bonuses. The recurring unrest points to a strained cash position at a time when investment requirements remain high.

Beyond the internal crisis, Cellcom’s situation highlights structural imbalances in Guinea’s telecommunications market, marked by high concentration and operators struggling to remain competitive. The company has seen its market share decline sharply in recent years under intensifying competition and rising infrastructure investment needs.

According to the latest report from the Autorité de régulation des postes et télécommunications as of June 30, 2025, Cellcom accounted for just 2.4% of the roughly 13 million mobile subscribers in the market. In the second quarter of 2023, it still held 7.8% of nearly 14 million subscribers.

Its revenues have also declined steadily. Cellcom held a 3% share of the 1,715 billion Guinean francs generated by the market in the second quarter of 2023. By the second quarter of 2025, that share had fallen to 0.23% of market revenues totaling 2,237 billion Guinean francs, equivalent to about 5 billion Guinean francs.

A clear path for Orange?

The crisis at Cellcom comes as the sector has already undergone a major shift following the Guinean state’s takeover of MTN’s local subsidiary, Areeba, announced in late 2024. That move reflected the authorities’ intent to prevent the disappearance of operators considered strategically important to service continuity and market balance.

At the same time, discussions initiated by the regulator on national roaming suggest the authorities are anticipating the need for mechanisms to sustain competition. In a sector where some operators struggle to keep pace with investment demands, significant market consolidation appears to be underway.

Areeba has yet to stabilize in terms of subscriber and revenue growth, despite holding a 21.4% market share after its acquisition by the state. The mounting pressure on Cellcom could benefit Orange, which already controlled 76.2% of mobile subscribers in the second quarter of 2025 and is well positioned to attract customers unsettled by the turmoil.

The trend mirrors a pattern seen in markets such as Kenya, where a dominant operator continues to pull further ahead of its competitors.

Muriel EDJO