By Adnan Adams Mohammed
Ghana’s ambitious drive toward a 70 percent 5G population coverage by 2027 is facing a physical and costly enemy: a relentless wave of fiber optic cable cuts.
With the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications reporting a staggering 8,000 incidents of fiber damage annually, the government is now moving to implement a “Dig-Once” policy to save the nation’s digital infrastructure and billions of Cedis in repair costs.
The crisis has reached a tipping point, with industry leaders warning that the frequency of these cuts is sabotaging service quality and deterring the very investment needed to bridge the country’s digital divide.
A “national security” concern
According to the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, the vast majority of these 8,000 annual cuts are caused by road construction, drainage works, and private developers who excavate without consulting utility maps.
“We are seeing an average of over 20 fiber cuts every single day across the country,” said Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, CEO of the Chamber. “This is not just a nuisance for the telcos; it is a national security issue and a massive drain on the economy. Every time a backhoe slices through a cable, hospitals lose connectivity, businesses lose revenue, and the state loses tax man-hours.”
Mrs Owusu-Ankomah noted that the cost of repairing these cuts, coupled with the loss of revenue during downtime, is being indirectly passed down to the consumer. “You cannot have affordable data when the operators are spending all their capital on fixing the same stretch of cable five times a year because of uncoordinated road works,” she added.
The “Dig-Once” solution
In response to the outcry, Parliament’s Communications Committee is spearheading a legislative shift. Samuel Nartey George, Minister of Communications, revealed that the government is set to introduce a “Dig-Once” Policy, a framework designed to mandate the installation of underground conduits during the initial phase of any road construction.
“The ‘Dig-Once’ policy is a game-changer. We are looking at reducing the cost of fiber rollout by as much as 60%,” Sam George stated. “Currently, every telco digs its own trench. The road contractor digs, then the water company digs, then the telco digs. It is chaotic and inefficient.”
The policy will require road contractors to include “smart ducts” in their project designs. Once the road is built, any telecommunications company can simply thread their fiber through the existing pipes without ever breaking the asphalt.
“By creating shared infrastructure, we eliminate the need for constant excavation,” George explained. “It protects our roads, protects the fiber, and drastically lowers the entry barrier for service providers to reach rural areas.”
Industry support and the path to 5G
The Telecommunications Chamber has lauded the move, noting that it aligns with international best practices. Analysts suggest that for Ghana to meet its 2027 target of 70% 5G coverage, the stability of the fiber backhaul is non-negotiable. 5G towers require high-capacity fiber connections to function; if the fiber is cut, the 5G network effectively goes dark.
“We cannot build a 5G future on a 1G physical foundation,” said Isaac Tetteh, a network engineer. “If the ‘Dig-Once’ policy had been in place a decade ago, Ghana would likely have the most stable internet in Africa today. We are playing catch-up, but it is a necessary pivot.”
Accountability for contractors
Beyond the policy, there are growing calls for stricter penalties for road contractors who negligently destroy fiber lines. Mrs Owusu-Ankomah has previously advocated for a “polluter pays” principle, where contractors are held financially liable for the downtime they cause to the national network.
“The ‘Dig-Once’ policy provides the infrastructure, but we also need a change in culture,” she concluded. “Contractors must respect the digital assets buried beneath them. Until there is real accountability, the digital lifeline of this country will remain fragile.”
As the bill heads toward the floor of Parliament, the tech industry and frustrated consumers alike are hoping that the era of the “accidental cut” is finally drawing to a close.
