MTN Ghana has committed more than US$1.1 billion over the next three years to expand network coverage and support the rollout of 5G services across the country, Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George has disclosed.

He said the investment was among the outcomes of recent government reforms aimed at creating a more competitive telecommunications sector and attracting greater private-sector investment in Ghana’s digital infrastructure.

Speaking on Monday, September 7, at the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House in Accra, Mr George said the investment followed regulatory changes by the National Communications Authority (NCA), including the removal of the wholesale 5G exclusivity framework.

“The Authority’s Board approved, on 15 July 2026, the removal of the wholesale 5G exclusivity framework that had constrained competition in high-speed mobile broadband,” he said.

According to the Minister, MTN’s investment would include the construction of 800 new cell sites, which he described as the company’s highest annual network build in a decade.

“MTN Ghana has committed more than US$1.1 billion over the next three years, including roughly US$380 million this year, to expand coverage, deploy new sites and support 5G rollout — 800 new cell sites in total, the highest annual build the company has undertaken in a decade,” he said.

He said the expansion would place particular emphasis on rural and peri-urban communities, where network coverage challenges remain more pronounced.

Mr George added that 180 of the 800 new sites were already operational and carrying traffic.

He said the locations were identified through a constituency-level mapping exercise undertaken in collaboration with Members of Parliament to determine communities experiencing the most severe network challenges.

Telecel also increases investment

The Minister also disclosed that Telecel Ghana had increased its capital investment by 60 per cent between 2023 and 2026 compared with the preceding four-year period.

He said the company’s 2026 plan targeted 2,698 sites, of which 1,890 were already operational.

Mr George said the developments reflected the government’s broader objective of using regulatory reforms to stimulate investment, expand digital infrastructure and improve access to high-speed mobile services across the country.