Reaching 70% 5G population coverage by March 2027 is the target for Ghana as it opens spectrum licensing to competitive operators, says Samuel Nartey George, minister for communication, digital technology and innovations
Speaking at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference in Doha, Qatar, George says the government has opened up 5G spectrum licensing following a regulatory shift.
In July, the National Communications Authority (NCA) stripped shared-infrastructure firm Next Gen InfraCo of its exclusive 10-year wholesale 5G rights, opting instead for a competitive, multi-operator model.
The initiative anchors a broader push to bridge the digital divide by turning raw infrastructure into economic capability.
"A signal is not a connection, and a tower does not represent transformation," says George, emphasising that coverage means little without affordability, trust, and usability. "Our rule is simple: coverage must become usage, and usage must become impact."
To support the 5G rollout, Ghana is completing 2 016 rural telephony sites while simultaneously upgrading existing second-generation (2G) and third-generation (3G) rural networks to fourth-generation (4G) and 5G-ready standards.
The infrastructure push is accompanied by a national initiative to train one million coders and the establishment of a National Artificial Intelligence Compute Centre dedicated to localized research, innovation, and ethical AI deployment.
Security also remains central to the government's strategy. Leveraging its status as an ITU Tier One country in the Global Cybersecurity Index, Ghana offered to share its expertise with fellow member states to help establish national Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and strengthen online protection protocols for children.
Speaking in his dual capacity as Ghana’s minister and chair of the African Union’s Specialised Technical Committee on Communications and ICT, George reminded the conference that over half of Africa remains offline.
He urged the ITU to measure its strategic plan by real-world results—such as last-mile investment and connected villages—rather than policy resolutions, while demanding strict adherence to Article 44 of the ITU Constitution regarding equitable access to satellite orbits and spectrum.
"The sky belongs to every nation, not only to those who reached it first," says George.
Closing his address, the minister formally launched Ghana’s bid for re-election to the ITU Council representing Africa. The country is also putting forward Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, acting director-general of the NCA, for re-election to the Radio Regulations Board.
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