Ghana is aiming to provide fifth-generation (5G) mobile coverage to more than 70 per cent of its population by March 2027, with rural network upgrades and a more competitive spectrum licensing system forming the centrepiece of the plan.
The target was outlined by Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations Samuel Nartey George at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference in Doha, Qatar, in 2026. He also discussed the programme at the Africa Virtual Asset Summit in Accra.
The deadline is intended to coincide with Ghana’s 70th Independence Anniversary on 6 March 2027.
Mr George said the government was working to complete 2,016 rural telephony sites nationwide. Existing 2G and 3G infrastructure in rural areas is also being upgraded to support 4G and 5G-ready networks under President John Dramani Mahama’s New Economy Policy.
He said the expansion would need to deliver more than improved technical coverage, stressing that connectivity should be affordable and accessible and should improve livelihoods in underserved communities.
The government’s plans also include changes to the country’s 5G licensing framework. Cabinet authorised the National Communications Authority (NCA) on 15 July 2026 to end the exclusive wholesale 5G licence previously awarded to Next-Gen InfraCo Limited (NGIC).
NGIC was granted a 10-year wholesale licence in May 2024 to develop a shared national 4G and 5G backbone. However, it failed to meet its June 2025 target, completing 16 of the first 50 sites required in Accra and Kumasi.
The NCA’s licence amendment does not remove NGIC’s spectrum assignment or its operating rights. The authority acted under section 14 of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775).
The change means mobile network operators including MTN Ghana, Telecel and AT Ghana can bid for spectrum in the 3.5GHz and 26GHz bands and develop their own 5G infrastructure.
At the Accra summit, Mr George said a broader 5G network would work alongside a planned national artificial intelligence computing centre and the Ghana Cloud platform.
He said those facilities would support public institutions, financial services and digital innovation under the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025 (Act 1154).
Mr George also called on Ghanaian technology entrepreneurs to create products designed for next-generation networks rather than relying on systems built for older infrastructure as the country develops its digital economy.
“We did not do this to slow down innovation, but innovation must be safe, interoperable and acceptable to the citizen,” he said.
