Rural telephony to see a boost in connectivity

The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations has announced plans to enhance rural telephony connectivity across Ghana. Sector Minister Sam Nortey George revealed that 2,016 new mini telecommunication masts are currently under construction, with the aim of reaching complete nationwide coverage by extending services to an additional 5,000 communities.

During a visit to the Volta Region, Nortey inspected construction sites alongside teams from the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), expressing dissatisfaction with the progress at some locations. Despite the completion of over 1,600 rural telephony sites, 1,400 are currently active and operational, passing traffic.

Nortey has given contractors a 30-day ultimatum to finalize their projects or face surcharges for delays.

The minister emphasized the importance of upgrading existing networks to 4G to improve telecommunications service delivery nationwide. Currently, the majority of the new sites being built are 2G and 3G. Nortey urged the Finance Ministry to continue providing funding for these expansion and upgrading projects. He also noted that about 4,000 fibre cuts occurred between January and June 2026, impacting efforts to enhance the country's telecommunications network.

These cuts result in a 4% loss in the quality of restored fibre-optic cables, prompting Nortey to call for better coordination between his ministry and road contractors to prevent frequent fibre cuts.