INTERNET ISSUES IN GHANA: REASONS AND WHAT’S BEING DONE

By Godfred Mensah

If your smartphone seems to be unable to go online, send Whatsapp messages or check out what’s trending on Facebook, you’re not alone. Your neighbor might be facing the same challenges. Ghana has been hit with a major internet connectivity problem caused by issues with undersea cables that deliver data and internet connectivity services. Recent news reports have indicated that the National Communications Authority knows about the problem and has announced that it might take around five weeks to fix the internet issues caused by problems with the undersea cables that control the delivery of data and overall internet connectivity.

MTN, AT, TELECEL WORKING HARD TO FIX THE ISSUES

Recently, NCA met with leaders from companies that manage the undersea cables and mobile network operators like AT, MTN, and Telecel. They talked about what happened and how to fix it in the future.

In a statement, the NCA mentioned that the companies managing the undersea cables have found where the damage is and are getting ready to send repair ships with the help of international partners in the area.

“The companies have figured out where the damage is and are preparing to send repair ships to check and fix the problems,” the statement said.

“Based on this, they think it will take at least five weeks to fully restore the service once the repair ships are sent out.”

MANY AFRICAN COUNTRIES FACE THE SAME CHALLENGES

The NCA understands how this has affected businesses, schools, and daily life, and they are working with others to solve the problem. In the meantime, internet providers will try to improve services bit by bit while they work on fixing everything.

To make sure local content and internet traffic work smoothly, the NCA wants mobile network operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and others to be active in the Ghana Internet Exchange (GIX).

Ghana, along with some other African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Niger, and Cote d’Ivoire, has been dealing with limited internet since Thursday morning when the issues started.