Last year, telcos in Ghana recorded over 8,000 fibre cuts across the country and illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’, was responsible for approximately 25 per cent of the total, affecting Ghana’s telecommunications quality of service, Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations Samuel Nartey George has disclosed.
He added that the government’s Big Push road construction projects also accounts for almost half (49%) of fibre cuts, while the remaining 26% is by real estate developers.
The Minister disclosed these when he took his turn at the Government’s Accountability Series.
He noted that this year, the country is well on its way to see 9,000 fibre cuts, having recorded almost 4,300 cuts by June ending this year.
Sam George noted that telecommunications industry was among the sectors suffering significant damage from illegal mining activities, explaining that galamsey operators frequently excavated areas without knowing or considering the presence of underground telecommunications infrastructure.
“Road contractors and real estate developers often report to us when the cut any fibre, but the galamsey operators never report anything to us. So it’s a real challenge that the sector is facing from galamsey,” he said.
The minister said the damage caused by illegal mining, road construction and real estate developers contributes directly to network degradation and service interruptions across the country, which come at a cost to the telcos.
Fibre cuts cost money
He explained that for the 8,000 plus fibre cuts that occurred last year, the telcos are spending at least US$20 million on repairs alone.
The Minister said that money could otherwise have been used to expand network capacity and improve coverage.
He stressed that protecting fibre infrastructure must become part of the broader national response to activities that threaten critical infrastructure.
