ACCRA, Ghana, 7th September: Road construction projects account for almost half of fibre cuts disrupting telecommunications services across Ghana, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Sam Nartey George, has disclosed.
He said road construction accounted for approximately 49 per cent of fibre cuts, making it the single biggest source of damage to the country’s telecommunications infrastructure.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series at the Presidency, Hon. Sam George said Ghana was on course to record nearly 9,000 fibre cuts in 2026 if the current trend continued.
He disclosed that more than 4,300 fibre cuts had already been recorded by the end of June.
The Minister said the damage had significant implications for the quality of telecommunications services because a single fibre cut could affect connectivity across large geographical areas.
He cited an incident on the Winneba-Mankessim road, where a fibre cut caused a 17-hour outage and significantly degraded data and voice services between Winneba, Mankessim and Cape Coast.
He also cited another incident that resulted in a 19-hour outage in the Ziope area, while another fibre cut between Hwidiem and Goaso resulted in nine hours of service disruption.
He explained that road contractors sometimes damaged underground fibre during excavation and road expansion works.
He said the telecommunications industry was also being affected by illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, which accounted for about 25 per cent of fibre cuts.
Private developers and other activities accounted for approximately 26 per cent, he added.
The Minister said the government is developing a coordination framework requiring road agencies and contractors to engage telecommunications operators before excavation works began.
He said the framework, being led by the NCA in collaboration with the Ghana Highways Authority and relevant ministries, would help contractors identify the location of fibre infrastructure before construction begins.
Sam George, however, stressed that the government could not publicly release the entire national fibre layout because fibre infrastructure constituted a national security asset.
He also disclosed that the Ministry of Communication and the Ministry of Roads and Highways had jointly prepared a memorandum on a “dig-once” policy, which is expected to go before Cabinet.
Under the proposed policy, road construction projects would provide dedicated fibre chambers alongside roads to protect telecommunications infrastructure and make future maintenance easier.
The Minister said enforceable penalties were also being considered for contractors who failed to comply with the new framework.
He disclosed that approximately US$20 million was expected to be spent in 2026 on repairing fibre cuts, funds he said could otherwise have been used to expand telecommunications infrastructure.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭
