Road construction causes 49% of Ghana’s fibre cuts-Sam George

Road construction activities account for about 49 percent of fibre cuts in Ghana, making them the leading cause of damage to the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has disclosed.

Speaking during the Government Accountability Series, Mr George said Ghana recorded nearly 4,300 fibre cuts in the first half of 2026, contributing significantly to network disruptions and poor quality of telecommunications services.

According to the Minister, excavation works carried out by road contractors frequently damage fibre cables buried along road corridors, resulting in prolonged outages for telecom subscribers.

He cited an incident along the Winneba-Mankessim road, where a damaged fibre cable caused a 17-hour outage, affecting data services from Winneba through to Cape Coast.

Mr George also referenced another fibre-related incident that resulted in a 19-hour outage, stressing that such disruptions are often blamed on telecommunications operators even when the underlying cause is damage to critical infrastructure by third parties.

He said the frequent fibre cuts also impose a significant financial burden on telecom operators, with the sector expected to spend more than US$20 million this year repairing damaged fibre infrastructure.

The Minister argued that such expenditure could instead be channelled into expanding network coverage, increasing capacity and improving the quality of telecommunications services.

Government proposes ‘Dig Once’ policy

To address the problem, Mr George said government was working on a coordination framework to ensure that road agencies and contractors engage telecommunications operators before undertaking excavation works.

He said the National Communications Authority (NCA) was leading efforts to provide contractors with information on the location of fibre infrastructure before road construction begins.

However, he explained that the complete national fibre network map could not be made publicly available because the infrastructure is regarded as a national security asset.

Instead, contractors would be required to engage the relevant agencies and telecom operators to establish the location of underground fibre infrastructure.

Mr George further disclosed that government was considering a “Dig Once” policy, which would require road construction projects to make provision for dedicated fibre chambers alongside roads.

The policy, he explained, would help ensure that telecommunications infrastructure is properly protected and organised whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated.

“We are looking at a policy that allows for all road construction work to carry a fibre chamber alongside, so that our fibre is not scattered all over,” he said.

Other causes of fibre cuts

The Minister identified illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, as accounting for about 25 percent of fibre cuts, while private developments and estate construction account for approximately 26 percent.

He said the combined impact of road construction, illegal mining and private development was placing considerable pressure on Ghana’s digital infrastructure.

Mr George also identified power instability and major incidents such as the Akosombo fire incident and the Greater Accra floods as additional factors affecting network reliability.

He said some telecommunications sites lost backup generators during the floods after the equipment was submerged, worsening service disruptions when power from the national grid was unavailable.

The Minister said government was therefore pursuing a broader network resilience strategy, including upgrading ageing 2G and 3G infrastructure to 4G and 5G-capable networks, particularly in rural communities.

He added that the NCA was reviewing its quality-of-service guidelines to properly account for outages caused by third-party damage while ensuring that telecom operators remain accountable for service failures within their control.

Mr George said government would also introduce customer remediation and sanctions for operators whose services fall below acceptable standards.

He urged road contractors, developers, citizens and other stakeholders to help protect telecommunications infrastructure, warning that activities such as dumping refuse and burning waste in fibre chambers could also trigger widespread network disruptions.

He said protecting fibre infrastructure was essential to ensuring reliable connectivity and supporting Ghana’s growing digital economy.