Illegal mining accounts for 25% of Ghana’s fibre cuts— Sam George

Illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, is responsible for about 25% of fibre cuts recorded across Ghana, Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George has disclosed.

The Minister said the activities of illegal miners had become a major threat to the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, with damage to fibre networks contributing to service disruptions and network instability in parts of the country.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, September 7, Sam George said although road construction and activities by private developers remained among the known causes of fibre damage, galamsey had emerged as an increasingly serious challenge to the telecommunications sector.

He explained that illegal miners often damaged underground fibre infrastructure during mining operations but failed to report the incidents to telecommunications companies or the relevant authorities.

“25 percent of fibre cuts are a result of galamsey. The telecom industry is one of the worse hit by the activities of galamsey operators. They [galamsey operators] just go in and make cuts. Road contractors will often report fibre cuts but galamsey operators won’t report it and that is a real challenge to the sector,” he stated.

Fibre-optic networks form a critical component of Ghana’s telecommunications infrastructure, carrying large volumes of voice and data traffic while supporting internet connectivity for individuals, businesses and public institutions.

The Minister noted that damage to the networks could lead to significant service disruptions, particularly in areas where alternative routes are unavailable to immediately redirect telecommunications traffic.

Frequent fibre cuts also impose substantial costs on telecommunications operators, who are required to deploy technical teams and equipment to locate damaged cables, carry out repairs and restore affected services.