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The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has disclosed that road construction projects under the government’s Big Push programme account for about 49% of fibre cuts recorded across Ghana.
According to the Minister, the repeated damage to fibre-optic infrastructure is disrupting telecommunications services while forcing network operators to spend millions of dollars on repairs funds that could otherwise be used to expand coverage and build new network sites.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, September 7, 2026, Sam George revealed that Ghana had recorded 8,578 fibre cuts so far in 2026, with repair costs exceeding US$20 million.
He said the financial losses were putting additional pressure on telecommunications companies and reducing the resources available for infrastructure expansion.
“That’s money that without the fibre cut we could have used to build new sites… The biggest source of fibre cuts is from the Big Push project because the Ministry of Roads is carrying out an aggressive project to construct roads across the country,” he said.»
Fibre Damage Remains a Persistent Problem
The Minister noted that fibre cuts have remained a major challenge over the years. Ghana recorded about 3,900 incidents in 2021, more than 10,000 in 2022, over 6,000 in 2023, more than 5,600 in 2024, and approximately 8,000 in 2025.
He further disclosed that nearly 4,300 fibre cuts had already been recorded by the end of June 2026. If the current trend continues, the country could record close to 9,000 incidents by the end of the year.
Government Raises Target for New Telecom Sites
Despite the challenges, Sam George said the government remained committed to improving telecommunications infrastructure and extending network coverage nationwide.
He disclosed that the government had increased its target for new telecommunications sites from 50 in 2025 to 800 in 2026.
The Minister stressed that reducing damage to fibre infrastructure would be essential to ensuring that money meant for telecommunications expansion is not repeatedly diverted into expensive repairs.