The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has identified illegal mining, careless excavation and the burning of rubbish in fibre chambers as some of the activities damaging Ghana’s telecommunications infrastructure.
He said the recurring destruction of fibre-optic cables was contributing to network outages and placing additional pressure on telecommunications operators, who must spend significant sums restoring damaged infrastructure.
Speaking to journalists after a two-day tour of rural telephony sites and One Million Coders Programme centres in the Volta Region, Hon. Sam George said the challenges were not confined to a particular region but were occurring across the country.
He cited an incident in which burning rubbish inside a fibre chamber disrupted connectivity in parts of Airport Hills, Chain Homes, Teshie and Tsado.
According to the Sam George, the fire damaged fibre infrastructure and affected services across the areas, even though the disruption resulted from the actions of an individual.
He also said illegal mining operators sometimes damaged cables without notifying the relevant authorities, making it difficult for network operators to locate the source of service failures.
Unlike road contractors, who may notify telecommunications operators after accidentally damaging cables, illegal miners and other individuals often leave operators to trace the damage after customers begin reporting connectivity problems.
Hon. Samuel Nartey George said private construction projects, including roadworks and fuel station developments, could also damage fibre cables when excavation was undertaken without adequate checks.
He urged the public to recognise the importance of telecommunications infrastructure and avoid activities that could disrupt services.
The minister said the government would continue addressing such incidents as they occurred but stressed the need for stronger public education, with support from the media, to reduce avoidable damage.
