Ghana fiber optic cable snapped

Ghana has experienced thousands of fibre optic cable cuts in recent years, causing major disruptions and costing telecom companies over US$69 million in repairs.

Scale and Frequency of Fibre Cuts

Between 2021 and 2025, Ghanaian telecom operators reported 33,878 fibre optic cable cuts nationwide, with incidents occurring between 11 and 99 times daily . The number of annual cuts has fluctuated, with 3,900 in 2021, 10,334 in 2022, 6,344 in 2023, 5,600 in 2024, and 8,000 in 2025 . Each repair typically costs between US$1,923 and US$3,214, with some estimates reaching US$23,000 per cut due to repeated damage at the same locations .

Causes of Fibre Cable Damage

The destruction of fibre cables is attributed to several factors:

• Excavation and construction work by road contractors and private developers without proper coordination with telecom operators .
• Vandalism and deliberate sabotage, particularly targeting Telecel Ghana, which experiences three to nine deliberate cuts daily . Vandals now cut fibre cables purely to disrupt services, as fibre has no resale value .
• Exposure to environmental hazards, including theft of protective aluminum covers and damage from illegal mining activities (galamsey) and roadworks .

Impact on Services and Economy

Fibre cuts have disrupted internet services, mobile money operations, banking transactions, and other critical digital services, affecting millions of users . The repeated damage has also caused reputational harm, revenue loss, and extended repair times, collectively amounting to hundreds of days spent on restoration annually . The financial burden on telecom companies has reached US$69.3 million over five years, diverting resources from network expansion and 5G rollout .

Industry Response and Mitigation Efforts

• The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications is pursuing legal action against contractors responsible for damaging fibre infrastructure and advocating for stricter sanctions .
• The industry is lobbying for the “Dig Once” policy, which would require all major road construction projects to include protected underground ducts for fibre cables .
• Telecom operators are also implementing standards and manuals to harmonize fibre deployment and reduce accidental damage .

Conclusion

The persistent snapping of fibre optic cables in Ghana represents a serious threat to the country's digital infrastructure, affecting both economic activities and daily communication. While legal and technical measures are being pursued, the problem remains a significant challenge for telecom operators and the broader digital transformation agenda .