Ghana has spent more than US$20 million repairing fibre cuts recorded across the country, Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George has disclosed.

The Minister said the country has recorded 8,578 fibre cuts so far in 2026, creating a significant financial burden for telecommunications operators and diverting resources that could otherwise have been used to expand network infrastructure.

He said the problem has persisted over the years, with Ghana recording about 3,900 fibre cuts in 2021, more than 10,000 in 2022, over 6,000 in 2023, more than 5,600 in 2024 and about 8,000 in 2025. Road construction under the government’s Big Push programme accounts for 49% of the cuts, while illegal mining contributes about 25%.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra, Mr George explained that the money spent on repairs could have supported the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure.

“And the cost of that alone is over US$20 million in repairing fibre cuts. That’s money that without the fibre cut we could have used to build new sites. It’s not because there is no service, but because the fibre has been cut,” he said.

He said the aggressive expansion of road projects had increased the risk of underground telecommunications infrastructure being damaged during construction, highlighting the need for stronger coordination between road development and the protection of critical digital infrastructure.