The Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has commissioned four community network sites in the Sekyere Afram Plains District of the Ashanti Region to improve internet access in underserved areas.
The facilities are located at Nyameama No. 1, Nyameama No. 2, Dawia and Abenua. They are expected to connect residents to online services and create greater access to digital opportunities in the communities and nearby areas.
Mr George inspected the sites during a working visit to the district, where he also announced an audit of 2,016 network sites inherited under an existing contract.
The review will establish how many of the sites have been completed, whether they are operational and whether they are actively providing connectivity.
“We want to do a status update. At the board level, we’ve authorised the administrator also to carry out an audit to ascertain the status of all of the sites, whether the sites are up and constructed, and when they are constructed, whether they’re active and passing traffic,” he said.
The audit is intended to give the government a clearer assessment of the project’s progress and identify facilities that need further work or intervention.
Mr George also raised concerns about the theft of batteries from some community network sites, saying the problem was undermining efforts to extend connectivity to communities that remain digitally underserved.
He appealed to traditional authorities, the district assembly and young people in the affected areas to help protect the installations, with particular attention to the batteries used to power the solar systems.
“Because if the batteries get stolen, the site goes off,” he warned.
The minister said investigations into reports of network outages had, on some occasions, found that batteries had been stolen or tampered with. Other problems included faulty electricity meters and technical faults.
He urged district authorities to monitor the facilities more closely and assist in preventing the theft or damage of vital equipment.
“Expanding connectivity to rural communities remains important, particularly as telecommunications companies may be reluctant to invest in areas where the population and expected revenue cannot justify the cost of operating conventional telecom masts,” he noted.
Mr George said the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) was supporting the installation of smaller community networks in locations where conventional telecommunications infrastructure was not commercially viable.
“Today across the country, electricity is important to people, roads are important to people, water is important to people. But a real challenge that people want is connectivity,” he said.
Some of the communities visited did not have electricity, but the government was still working to provide internet access through solar-powered infrastructure.
The minister said the community networks should be upgraded from 3G to 4G to provide residents with a better digital experience.
“Expanding 5G services in major cities without upgrading rural networks could widen the digital divide”.
He said the government would continue working with GIFEC and other stakeholders to extend digital access to communities not adequately served by conventional telecommunications infrastructure.
By Awurakuaa Ofosuhemaa/Akoma FM
