Illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, is fast becoming the unseen saboteur of Ghana’s digital lifelines. At a recent Government Accountability Series event, Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George revealed a troubling statistic: about one in every four fibre-optic cable cuts recorded nationwide can be traced back to the activities of galamsey operators.
Beneath Ghana’s bustling towns and quiet villages, a complex web of fibre-optic cables keeps people connected, to each other and to the world. But this vital infrastructure faces a growing threat from those digging for gold. “Twenty-five percent of fibre cuts are a result of galamsey,” Minister George stated. “The telecom industry is one of the worst hit by the activities of galamsey operators.”
Unlike road construction crews, who typically alert authorities when their work could disrupt underground cables, illegal miners rarely provide any warning. As they excavate in search of precious minerals, they often damage fibre lines, leaving telecommunications companies scrambling to trace and repair the breaks, often without any idea where to begin. The result is widespread disruption, especially in areas where there are no alternative fibre routes. Voice and data traffic can grind to a halt, leaving entire communities isolated from modern communication.
The repercussions ripple far beyond mere inconvenience. Each fibre cut forces telecom companies to deploy teams and equipment at significant cost, straining their resources and threatening the reliability of Ghana’s digital services.
Minister George warned that if this trend continues, the backbone of the nation’s telecommunications could be fatally undermined, deepening network disruptions and jeopardizing the country’s digital future.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com