{
  "id": 6284184,
  "title": "NPP challenges Sam George over rural telephony record, demands data",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/npp-challenges-sam-george-over-rural-telephony-record-demands-data",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-08T14:05:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/npp-challenges-sam-george-over-rural-telephony-record-demands-data/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has taken issue with assertions regarding the status of Ghana's rural telephony program under previous administrations. According to the party, the record demonstrates substantial investment in extending telecommunications access to unconnected communities. In a statement released by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Chairman of the NPP Policy Coordination Committee, the NPP clarified that the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project was initiated in 2020, not 2022 as previously claimed. The party asserted that the project was funded through a €155 million facility from China EXIM Bank and aimed to serve 2,016 sites in unserved and underserved regions, benefiting between three and four million people. The NPP noted that an initial phase of the initiative resulted in the construction and activation of 430 rural sites between 2017 and 2018, providing connectivity to roughly 700,000 individuals. The party claimed that the Akufo-Addo and Bawumia administration subsequently broadened the program, leaving 1,961 sites completed at the time of the January 2025 transfer, along with equipment available for the deployment of an additional 400 sites. The NPP dismissed claims suggesting that some sites constructed in 2024 were technically unconnectable, citing an upgraded satellite hub at the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, prepared to provide backhaul for 46 hard-to-reach communities. The party clarified that these 46 communities were not unreachable – they remained unconnected due to a lack of contracted hub service and payment, which was a commercial and administrative matter rather than a technical one. Consequently, the NPP has urged the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) to publish a detailed status report on the project within 30 days. The report should cover operational sites, the deployment of remaining equipment, the satellite hub's status, and the planned 4G upgrade, as well as a briefing for Parliament’s Select Committee on Communications. The party emphasized its commitment to ensuring a functional rural network, stressing that rural communities are entitled to both telecommunications service and transparent information regarding when they will receive it.",
  "summary": "The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has challenged claims about the state of Ghana’s rural telephony programme under previous administrations, insisting that the record shows significant investment in expanding telecommunications access to underserved communities.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "NPP demands answers over 46 rural communities still without telephony service",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/npp-demands-answers-over-46-rural-communities-still-without-telephony",
        "published": "2026-09-08T12:15:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "NPP defends rural telephony record, demands status report from government",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/npp-defends-rural-telephony-record-demands-status-report-from",
        "published": "2026-09-08T15:08:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}