The government is preparing to introduce a “dig-once” policy aimed at protecting Ghana’s fibre infrastructure from repeated cuts during road construction and other excavation works.
The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, said the policy had already received approval from the relevant Cabinet committee and was expected to proceed to Cabinet plenary.
Speaking during his turn at the Government Accountability Series recently, he said the policy was part of a broader coordinated framework designed to improve the resilience of Ghana’s digital infrastructure.
Under the proposed arrangement, road construction projects would make provision for dedicated fibre chambers alongside roads.
This, according to the minister, would prevent fibre cables from being scattered across different locations and make future maintenance and expansion easier.
Sam George said the National Communications Authority was also developing a framework requiring road agencies and contractors to consult telecommunications operators before excavation works begin.
He rejected calls for the government to publish the exact national fibre layout, arguing that fibre infrastructure constituted a national security asset.
Instead, he said contractors would be provided with appropriate contact points through which they could obtain information on the location of fibre infrastructure before undertaking excavation.
The minister said the government was also considering penalties for contractors and other actors who failed to comply with the coordination framework.
He disclosed that last year there were over 8,000 fibre cuts caused mainly by big push road projects (49%), real estate development (26%) and galamsey (25%), adding that telcos are spending approximately US$20 million repairing those cuts.
He said the expenditure represented resources that could otherwise have been deployed to expand telecommunications infrastructure.
Meanwhile, by June this year, an additional 4,300 fibre cuts have already been recorded, and the number could reach 9,000 by close of year.
Sam George urged citizens and contractors to recognise the importance of fibre infrastructure to the functioning of the modern economy.
He said protecting fibre was critical to ensuring reliable mobile communications, internet services, digital payments and other technology-dependent services.
