Ghana spends over US$20m repairing fibre cuts – Sam George

Ghana has spent over US$20 million in the past year to repair fibre cuts across the country, according to Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George. The minister reported that there have been 8,578 fibre cuts in 2026 alone, which places a significant financial burden on telecommunications operators and diverts resources that could have been allocated to expanding network infrastructure.

This issue has been a persistent problem in recent years. In 2021, Ghana recorded approximately 3,900 fibre cuts, while 2022 saw more than 10,000 cuts, 2023 recorded over 6,000 cuts, 2024 saw more than 5,600 cuts, and 2025 had about 8,000 cuts.

Road construction under the government's Big Push programme accounts for 49% of these cuts, while illegal mining is responsible for roughly 25%. Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra, Minister George highlighted that the money spent on repairing fibre cuts could have been used to build new sites instead. He explained, "That’s money that without the fibre cut we could have used to build new sites.

It’s not because there is no service, but because the fibre has been cut." The minister emphasized the need for better coordination between road development projects and the protection of critical telecommunications infrastructure due to the increasing risk of damage during road construction.