Big Push roads account for 49% of Ghana’s fibre cuts – Sam George
By Ashiadey Dotse Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Samuel Nartey George says road construction under the government’s Big Push programme has contributed to about 49 per cent of fibre cuts recorded in Ghana this year. Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, September 7, 2026, Mr George said Ghana had recorded 8,578 […]
Ghana's Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has revealed that road construction under the government's Big Push programme has been responsible for approximately 49% of the fibre cuts recorded in the country this year. Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, September 7, 2026, George highlighted that Ghana had experienced a total of 8,578 fibre cuts so far in 2026, with the cost of repairing the damage surpassing US$20 million.
The disruptions caused by the frequent damage to fibre cables have forced network operators to spend millions of dollars on repairs, a sum that could have been utilized to build new sites and expand network coverage. George argued that these funds could have been used to enhance telecommunications services if not lost due to the fibre cuts.
According to George, the Big Push road projects have emerged as the primary source of fibre damage due to the extensive road construction taking place across the nation. The Minister emphasized that the Ministry of Roads is actively engaged in an aggressive project to construct roads throughout the country, resulting in a significant number of fibre cuts.
This issue has persisted for several years, with Ghana recording around 3,900 fibre cuts in 2021, over 10,000 in 2022, more than 6,000 in 2023, and more than 5,600 in 2024. The number of fibre cuts continued to rise, reaching about 8,000 in 2025. George cautioned that if this trend persists, Ghana could record close to 9,000 fibre-cut incidents by the end of 2026.
George stressed that the repeated damage to fibre cables is putting pressure on telecommunications companies and limiting their capacity to invest in new infrastructure and improve network coverage. Despite this challenge, he affirmed that the government remains committed to expanding telecommunications services nationwide.
The minister disclosed that the government has increased its target for new telecommunications sites from 50 in 2025 to 800 in 2026. He stressed that safeguarding existing fibre infrastructure is crucial to ensuring that funds intended for expanding telecommunications services are not continually diverted towards repairing damaged cables.
Written by urgent.news from GBC Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
