Fibre repairs drain millions Ghana needs for digital expansion

Ghana's digital economy faces a costly paradox: while the country invests in expanding connectivity, telecom operators are spending millions to repair networks damaged by construction and other activities. Between 2021 and 2025, operators reported thousands of fiber cuts annually, with costs rising from $7.5 million in 2021 to $20 million in 2025.

Although the number of cuts fell in 2023 and 2024, the problem resurged in 2025, with more than 8,000 cuts reported. The industry argues that improved coordination between construction and telecommunications infrastructure is necessary, proposing the "Dig Once" principle to incorporate fiber ducts into new construction projects.

However, accountability for deliberate or negligent destruction of critical telecommunications infrastructure may also be needed. Ghana must now consider connectivity not just as an economic infrastructure but as an infrastructure and economic policy issue to ensure the return on its infrastructure investments.