The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations has promised improved telecommunications connectivity across the country following an infrastructure expansion project.
The sector minister, Sam Nortey George, indicated that about 2,016 mini telecommunication masts are being constructed, with 5,000 more communities to be covered to achieve complete nationwide coverage.
He said this during an inspection exercise in the Volta Region, where he led teams from the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC) to inspects construction of the rural telephony sites, intended to improve access to telecommunication services.
Mr Nartey was dissatisfied with the progress of construction at some of the sites, although about 1,600 of the rural telephony sites have been completed, and issued a 30-day ultimatum to contractors yet to complete their sites, warning that they would be surcharged for the extra time taken to complete the project.
“When it comes to rural telephony sites, we are supposed to do about 2,016 of them; currently we have more than 1,600 that we are told have been completed, 1,400 are active and are passing traffic at the moment”.
“As I said, on Tuesday, we are having this meeting to do a reconciliation; like I said 30 days from Tuesday, we will begin to surcharge the contracts. We still have close to 5,000 communities that we need to cover”, he explained.
Mr Nortey further indicated plans to upgrade the existing networks to 4G to enhance telecommunications service delivery across the country. He expressed hope that the Finance Ministry would continue to make funds available for the expansion and upgrading projects.
“I have been speaking not just about expanding the network but upgrading the existing networks because the sites that are coming up are 2G and 3G and I believe that we must upgrade all of them to 4G”, he said.
Fibre cuts dwindle efforts to enhance telecommunication connectivity
Mr Nortey, however, lamented that about 4,000 fibre cuts were recorded between January and June 2026, undermining efforts to improve the country’s telecommunications network.
He explained that damaged fibre-optic network cables lose about 4% of their quality upon restoration, and called for better coordination between his ministry and road contractors to prevent frequent cuts.
“It’s engineering; it’s pure physics, if you cut fibre and you fix the fibre, it loses some quality. It’s a ring, so once you cut the ring every site on that ring gets taken off or gets a degradation in its quality of service”, he explained.
He further indicated that “we love the roads, we want the roads to be done but we need to coordinate it in a way that the construction of the roads doesn’t affect us. But the road construction is not the only reason; galamaey is another one”, he revealed.
Traditional authorities lauded the Ministry for the service expansion drive, hoping it would help transform their livelihoods.
“This installation is more than just hardware; it is a bridge to the rest of the world. It provides our youth with the digital connectivity necessary to drive the modern era. Your commitment to bringing the telephony site to our doorsteps is a transformative gift that will change lives right here in our town”, said Togbe Dikro of Akofe Gadza.
One Million Coders Programme
Mr Nartey also visited One Coders Programme training centres in Ho, Kpetoe, Adaklu Waya and the University of Health and Allied Sciences.
He was enthused by the level of cooperation and enthusiasm shown by trainees at the various centres.
He encouraged the trainees to recognise the initiative as life-changing and to endeavour to complete all stages of the training, which currently has a 91% completion rate.
The Communications Ministry also equipped the training centre at the University of Health and Allied Sciences with about 100 laptops to enable students to acquire practical digital and networking skills.