Ghana’s digital backbone comes under strain

Ghana’s telecommunications industry is grappling with a sharp rise in fibre optic cable damage, with operators now recording more than 8,000 fibre cuts a year — a surge that industry executives warn is undermining network reliability, raising operating costs and slowing investment in digital infrastructure.

The scale of the disruption marks a dramatic escalation from the early years of fibre deployment in Ghana, when annual cuts averaged about 400.

According to the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, the increase reflects both the rapid expansion of the country’s telecoms infrastructure and growing coordination failures between road construction, utility works and network operators.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Chamber’s 15th anniversary soft launch, chief executive Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah said the frequency of the disruptions had become a major operational and financial burden for telecom companies.

“We are experiencing over 8,000 cuts per annum when it comes to fibre cuts, which is increasingly a strain on our operators’ resources,” she said. “Resources and investments that could have been used for new rollouts are instead being used to repair damaged fibre lines and meet quality service obligations.”

Rising costs for operators  

For telecom operators, the consequences extend far beyond technical outages. Each fibre cut triggers emergency repairs, service interruptions, customer complaints and regulatory pressure over quality-of-service standards.

In an industry already burdened by high capital expenditure requirements, recurring infrastructure damage is diverting funds away from expansion projects, including the rollout of 4G and 5G networks, broadband upgrades and wider digital connectivity investments.

The Chamber said the problem has intensified as the country’s Internet penetration rate climbed from roughly four per cent in the early stages of network deployment to more than 70 per cent today.

That rapid growth has expanded the country’s fibre footprint significantly, but has also increased the exposure of underground cables to accidental damage during road construction and civil engineering works.

The result is mounting pressure on operators attempting to maintain service reliability while simultaneously investing in next-generation digital infrastructure.

Push for ‘dig once’ policy

The industry is now lobbying for the implementation of a long-discussed “dig once” policy, which would require road projects and major infrastructure developments to include protected underground ducts for fibre optic cables as part of construction design.

The proposal is intended to reduce repeated excavation and minimise accidental fibre damage by allowing telecom operators to route cables through dedicated infrastructure corridors.

Ms Owusu-Ankomah said discussions on the framework had reached Cabinet level and expressed optimism that the policy could finally be implemented this year.

“This fibre cut issue has plagued the industry for a long time and we believe Ghana has matured enough to put a stop to it,” she said. “That is why we believe the ‘dig once’ policy must come into effect this year.”

The proposal reflects a broader recognition that the country’s infrastructure planning remains fragmented, with roads, drains, utilities, power systems and telecom networks often developed independently of one another.

That lack of coordination has produced repeated damage, duplication of works and higher long-term infrastructure costs.

Digital ambitions 

The warning comes as the country seeks to position itself as a regional digital economy hub, with increasing dependence on broadband connectivity, mobile money, e-commerce, digital public services, cloud computing and online education.

Fibre infrastructure sits at the centre of that transformation. Repeated disruptions affect not only telecom operators but also banks, hospitals, schools, businesses and government digital platforms that depend on stable internet connectivity.

The Chamber’s intervention, therefore, carries implications beyond the telecom sector. It highlights the extent to which the country’s broader digital ambitions remain tied to the resilience of its underlying physical infrastructure.

A properly enforced “dig once” regime could lower maintenance costs, reduce repeated road excavation and improve network reliability across the economy.

But implementation would require close coordination between government agencies, road contractors, local authorities, utility providers and telecom operators — an area where Ghana has historically struggled.

The challenge now is whether policymakers can move the proposal beyond Cabinet discussions and into execution. Without a coordinated infrastructure framework, Ghana risks undermining the very fibre backbone on which its digital transformation depends — one cable cut at a time.