Government has proposed a Dig Once policy that would embed fibre ducts directly into road construction projects, cutting fibre rollout costs by up to 60 percent and curbing the growing wave of infrastructure damage that has battered Ghana’s telecoms sector.
Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George unveiled the proposal at the soft launch of the 15th anniversary of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications (GCT) on Saturday. He said the policy would compel road contractors working on new road projects to incorporate fibre chambers and ducts into their designs, enabling telecom providers to install cables without conducting separate excavation work of their own.
Under the framework, telecoms companies would secure right of way access and deploy fibre through already built chambers, eliminating unnecessary duplication in civil works and reducing the capital expenditure associated with network expansion.
George said the arrangement could lower fibre installation costs by approximately 60 percent, a reduction he described as potentially transformative for Ghana’s digital economy. He argued that lower rollout costs would encourage greater network investment, widen internet access and eventually drive down data costs for consumers.
The proposal arrives against a sharply worsening backdrop. When GCT was founded 15 years ago, Ghana recorded only a few hundred fibre cuts per year. That figure has since risen to as many as 8,000 cuts annually, driven by road construction activity, real estate development, illegal mining and theft. The damage inflicts significant financial losses on telecoms operators while causing repeated service disruptions for users across the country.
George confirmed that the Ministry has completed a draft policy framework following input from the Ministry of Roads and Highways. The final draft was received this week and is expected to go before Cabinet for approval, with a rollout target set for the third quarter of 2026.
The Dig Once initiative is designed to complement government’s ongoing Big Push infrastructure programme and is intended to strengthen Ghana’s digitalisation strategy and improve the telecoms sector’s long term efficiency and economic competitiveness.
