Exclusive: National Security faults road contractors for telecom cable cuts

Adom Business has chanced upon a ‘confidential’ letter from the National Security Secretariat, which says road construction works is the main cause of telecom cable and fibre cuts, which leads to disruption of communication service in the country.

The letter, labeled “Confidential” and dated April 30, 2013 said: “The imapact of such disruption on National Security and Develoopment is a matter of grevious concern.”

This has been the position of telecom operators for years, but the road contractors and their regulatory government agency, Ghana Highways Authority (GHA), have always denied liability.

But the letter, signed by the National Security Coordinator, Larry Gbevlo Lartey, and copied to the Ministers of Roads and Highways, and of Communications, the President’s Executive Secretary, various Regional Security Councils and the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber, supports the position of the telcos.

National Security is therefore requesting for close collaboration between the telcos and road contractors in an effort to protect cables during road construction.

In that regard, National Secretary is requesting that road contractors be given all telecom cable layouts in areas they (the contractors) win road contracts before they move in to work; and the contractors should in turn acknowledge receipt of the layout in writing and make a written undertaking of their commitment to protect the cables.

National Security is also requesting that in order for it to be able to monitor the situation, copies of the telecom cable layout, the written response from the respective road contractor stating its commitment to protect the cables and evidence of the fact the contractor have actually received the cable layout from the respective telecom operator.