The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, says road construction under the government’s Big Push programme accounts for roughly half of all fibre cuts recorded each month.
According to him, most of the damage results from uncoordinated excavation and the failure of contractors to work with approved drawings and properly coordinate with telecommunications operators before construction begins.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House in Accra on Monday, September 7, Mr George said Ghana was projected to record 8,578 fibre cuts in 2026, with 4,289 already recorded in the first half of the year.
He said the recurring damage to telecommunications infrastructure was imposing significant financial and operational costs on network operators.
The Minister disclosed that each fibre cut costs an average of about US$2,045 to repair, with more than US$20 million spent on repairs in 2025 alone.
“The single largest cause, by a wide margin, is uncoordinated excavation connected to road construction, and in particular to the Government’s own ‘Big Push’ road programme, which accounts for roughly half of all road-related fibre cuts each month,” he said.
Mr George said government was taking steps to address the problem through a joint Cabinet Memorandum between his Ministry and the Ministry of Roads and Highways on the Dig Once Policy.
The policy, he explained, seeks to ensure that telecommunications infrastructure is factored into road construction plans from the outset, thereby reducing the risk of fibre damage and lowering the cost of deploying broadband infrastructure.
He further disclosed that the National Communications Authority (NCA) was finalising a coordination framework that would require road agencies and contractors to engage telecommunications operators before excavation works commence.
“We anticipated this threat,” he said.
He added that the Ministry would introduce enforceable cost-recovery penalties against third parties responsible for damaging telecommunications infrastructure.
