Fibre repairs drain millions Ghana needs for digital expansion

Jukwaa

🇬🇭 Here's What Happened

Between 2021 and 2025, telecommunications operators recorded thousands of fibre cuts annually. Incidents rose from 3,900 cuts in 2021, costing about $7.5 million in repairs, to 10,034 cuts in 2022, costing $17.4 million.

Although the number of cuts fell to 6,344 in 2023 and 5,600 in 2024, cuts exceeded 8,000 in 2025, with direct repair costs reaching approximately $20 million. And the problem persists.

Industry data for the first half of 2026 indicates that reported cuts have already reached 4,289, putting the annual total on pace to exceed 8,000 if no drastic intervention is made to address these fibre cut incidents.

📌 Key Details

For an industry that must continually invest in expanding and upgrading networks, the economics are difficult.

Every damaged cable requires resources to locate the fault, repair or replace infrastructure and restore connectivity. The impact also extends beyond the immediate repair bill when businesses, consumers and public institutions lose access to services.

The problem becomes even more significant as Ghana undertakes major physical infrastructure projects.

Road construction can require excavation, drainage works and utility relocation. Without adequate coordination, those activities can damage underground fibre. Construction can also affect aerial networks mounted on poles.

A fibre cable damaged during a road project may appear to be a local infrastructure problem. But the cable could form part of a communications route carrying traffic for thousands of businesses and millions of consumers.

The industry has engaged government agencies, contractors, utility providers and local authorities on the problem, while recognising the role of the National Engineering Coordinating Team in improving coordination.

📰 Source: Joy Online Ghana

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