MACRAs Baba Musa and K4.5 billion give away

..Ghanaian Dobadoba has not certified software engineer

..move dubious to syphon public money, intrude privacy

..MACRA monitoring risks lawsuits, fines- experts

One of the legacies of the President Lazarus Chakwera and his administration is their ability to find strange and dubious dobadobas globally whom they are eager to share money. From  Bridgin Foundation to a fertiliser butchery to East Bridge, then to a “Chief” via “Sheikh Al Qassim” eager to receive Malawi kwachas now enter Baba Halidu Musa, a gentleman only Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) seems to think is worth U$1.5 millions of public moneys.

The Investigator Magazine due diligence team has been accessing information, location and technical expertise of Baba Halidu’s Hashcom Ghana Limited, but there is very little to prove that they have delivered- even in Ghana, anything like media monitoring systems and the structure of the company reveals only one man knowledgeable to the whole multibillion kwacha contract.

The Investigator Magazine teams spoke to two ladies- one in Germany and another in Ghana (who run out of airtime) but both were not in the office and while the Germany lady said the Chief Executive officer in Ghana would call, the one in Accra called him the Director.

The landlines provided went unanswered and Hashcom Ghana Limited- has no own premises, according to the lady in Accra but operates from Bahamus, a one-man conglomerate owned by Baba Halidu Musa. BAHAMUS is his names- BA for BABA, HA for HALIDU and MUS for Musa.

MACRA’s funny tender that intrudes privacy, affects constitutional right to free speech

MACRA shocked Malawians when it published in local papers that it was to issues a K4.5 billion intention to award a contract to Hashcom Ghana Limited, a company only it can explain how it identified it to supply misinformation and disinformation software- essentially spying in Malawians digitally.

The MACRA Director General Daud Sulieman told local Zodiak Station that the spying software had “benefits” to Malawians but failed to explain on what mandate was MACRA going to spy Malawians and how it would ensure and guarantee privacy and free speech of Malawians.

The MACRA Director General Daud Sulieman told local Zodiak Station that the spying software had “benefits” to Malawian

“The constitution is clear, free speech and privacy are guaranteed. MACRA’s role is not spying on citizens as it is trying to do. The spy software it wants to spend on scarce foreign exchange contravenes the constitution and the MACRA act. It can only raise digital awareness on digital rights or security, but it has no single power to monitor what people are writing on social media.

“The question is what will they do with the information? How will they monitor it? What else can this software do or not do? Why is it that expensive?” queried a digital and free speech analyst we engaged and several lawyers.

He said it was up to the Malawi Law Society, the Malawi Human Rights Commission and other defenders of free speech and constitutionalism to halt MACRA’s intentions until it is clear on what mandate and premise, they will be policing Malawians on the digital space.

Go to Bahamus, thats where you will find Hashcom Ghana Limited

MACRA will have to demonstrate to Malawians how it selected Hashcoom Ghana Limited, a company with four employees and none of them certified software engineers raising red flags that the contract is another money laundering by public agencies under President Chakwera.

Hashcom operates in the same shop as Bahamus but it has no staff, as those contacted fumbled both in Germany and Accra using mobile numbers and all of them said “only the Director” had information we were seeking.

“I dont know anything about registration or the companies, talk to the General Manager. He will be available in the afternoon. Just walk in at Bahamus near the airlines thats where we operate. But I won’t be there,” said the lady in Accra as we tried to locate the company.

We initially called the Germany mobile line as the landlines in Ghana went unanswered, when we asked if that was Hashcom, the lady fumbled and later recovered saying this is “Germany branch.” When asked what floor was Hashcom in Accra, she confessed she didnt know but people from Accra will call you for the MAP.

Baba Halidu Musa half a dozen companies

A whole national regulatory authority is entrusting US$1.5 million to an individual who claims to sale digital equipment but has avoided to expound the structure and value of the company. There is nothing about the type of software MACRA is pretending to source from this Hashcom on its site.

According to our due diligence check, Baba Halidu Musa should be aged between 44 years and 45 years old as his only photo we could dig from Ghana is a 40th birthday wishes from another of his claimed radio networks. The man like most gurus from Birdgin, East Bridge, Sheikh Al Qassim and company have avoided posting anything about themselves online.

Baba Halidu Musa – his only photo we could dig from Ghana is a 40th birthday wishes from another of his claimed radio networks

Baba Halidu Musa’s main company is indicated as Bahamus which he controls, and the rest are branches and firms which operate like agents and not original supplier of any of the items that are listed.

There are no names of Directors or Staff and suspiciously the Ghana Registrar Generals online check which is used to identify and validate Ghana’s businesses has no record of Hashcom Ghana limited.

Ironically- Bahamus Limited proclaims on its website www.bahamusghana.com that “We connect with the lives of all people and guarantee their right of access to information.”  MACRA run by political party appointees is yet how it will classify information as disinformation and misinformation as at times- genuine whistleblowers have been arrested by Malawi Police Service to stop them from exposing corruption and rot in public agencies.

Bahamus says it provides communications systems and equipment’s to broadcast facilities in West Africa at a reasonably packaged price. They list their expertise as electronics (just like OG Issa in Malawi) as they design, maintain and install turnkey radio and television solutions,

The link to its Software solutions sends one to a 404 and does have detailed information like the rest of the electronics, smart homes as agent for Bang and Olufsen products, The other company is Bahamus Media which owns 3 Music, Orange FM, Ofie 105.9fm, Bahamus 107.9 FM, Spice FM, and Col 95.4FM. It also claims to own broadcast channels on several radios and tv providers.

Hashcom Ghana lists its landlord as clients, 4 staff members

Jump to Hashcom Ghana, despite it write up proclaiming has large base in West Africa, only Ghana Communications Ltd and a Ministry of Water. Most of other firms it calls top clients include Bahamus the company that owes it. In short, outside Ghana, the company does not have any reference.

Hashcom claims to rent this building and have offices in this – another lie

The digital footprint of Hashcom Ghana Limited reveal that it has only four staff members and two are readily traceable a Jonah E who has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resources Management but is now a software engineer for the company and Atsitsre Yao, a 2021 graduate with Bachelor’s Degree (information technology) who until 2023 was listed as Data Engineer and upgraded to Software Engineer and IT support in 2024.

The digital footprint of Hashcom Ghana Limited reveal that it has only four staff members and two are readily traceable

The lack of experience and expertise and market reference should raise concerns to any well-meaning institution, but MACRA has justified its acquisition that will blow forex enough to pay a container for drugs for Kamuzu Central or buy four new dialysis machines for all regions that it has made profits of K13 billion this year.

Not only the company but the cost, rented premises

The Investigator Magazine has been informed that the new system will be housed in private villas in Lilongwe raising more questions on the costs of running this new software which cyber security experts in the USA and UK claim is very expensive.

MACRA already has broadcasting monitoring equipment and installed another for mobile network. The new systems mean will only for digital platforms for only estimated 27% of Malawi population said to have access to the internet.

“The actual digital activity of Malawians is small, roughly only 1 million Malawians are on social media, the largest being on Facebook. Data is expensive, people don’t spend much time online compared to other countries. It is ridiculous to install a US$1,5 million software system like you are doing nuclear or satellite tracking. This doesn’t make sense,” said a Security expert with 30 years’ experience in the UK.

Another said a computer and software which annually costs US$600 subscription will be enough to capture whatever MACRA wants to be doing online with peoples post as Malawi’s internet penetration remains among the lowest in the world.

“MACRA has no viable justification to spend the money, they can’t demonstrate the need nor the legal premise nor can the justify the costs of this Ghana software and why they can’t source from genuine suppliers who will provide back up. If this software exposes people to privacy violation MACRA is risking billions of dollars should others sue it and claim. It all looks like a not well thought after idea, making it suspicious of its true intentions,” said a legal mind familiar with digital space laws.

We have one word for MACRA abort this one, it does not look good, and Malawians have no need for another spy agency they should pay for. The digital domain requires smart thinking as it’s easy to fall into trap and cost the public more. By monitoring what it calls misinformation and disinformation without any legal back up to do so, MACRA experts say will directly include downloading peoples posts and data with it. This is a grey area of intrusion of privacy even in advanced democracy. Google, Facebook and have paid billions of dollars in fines in breach of privacy and use of data. What MACRA and its shallow mindedness does not think is that not only Malawians will post about Malawi. It doesn’t say what it will do when it finds an American writing or sharing some misinformation. Will they tell them we have been monitoring you? Is MACRA ready for lawsuits or they have just a hunch to hunt for what it perceives as regime critics and hide behind disinformation. MACRA needs to explain to Malawians its legal reasons, the need and justify spending K4.5 billion on highly expensive spyware when people are dying from hunger. MACRA is owned by Malawians, they did not create a spy agency. That is for the National Intelligence Service. Any attempts to create new layers of state intrusion should be aborted. This is before we even talk of Baba Halidu Musa, a new name in Malawi’s expanding Doba Doba deals! Abort MACRA before your childishness costs the country more, as it did with the senseless Multichoice saga. Your legal team should be consulted not only on the right to privacy and free speech but also monitoring digital space which includes other countries- you are playing too much at MACRA.

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