Ghana Faces Dual Crisis: Power Cuts and Network Failures Impact Economy

Ghana is currently facing a dual crisis with significant power outages and mobile network failures affecting households and businesses. The fire at the Akosombo transmission substation on April 23 resulted in a loss of 720 to 1,000 megawatts from the national grid, prompting emergency measures and halting electricity exports.

Concurrently, the telecom sector has suffered from over 5,600 fibre cut incidents in 2024, leading to approximately US$9.2 million in losses. MTN Ghana reported a severe degradation of service, taking 157 network sites offline due to fibre disruptions, with plans for a US$300 million investment to enhance infrastructure.

This situation is compounded by the interdependence of power and mobile services, notably impacting the 20 million Ghanaians who rely on mobile money. The National Communications Authority has imposed stringent Quality of Service standards, yet compliance data remains unpublished. The long-term structural issues in both sectors continue to pose risks to economic stability.