The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Sam Nartey George, has disclosed that road construction under the government’s Big Push programme accounts for nearly half of all fibre cuts recorded in Ghana, making it the leading cause of damage to the country’s telecommunications infrastructure.

Speaking at the Accountability Series on Monday, September 7, 2026, the Minister revealed that Ghana had recorded 8,578 fibre cuts so far in 2026, with repairs costing telecommunications operators more than US$20 million.

According to Sam George, the frequent damage to fibre infrastructure is disrupting telecommunications services while forcing network operators to spend millions of dollars on repairs instead of investing those resources in expanding network coverage.

“That’s money that without the fibre cut we could have used to build new sites… The biggest source of fibre cuts is from the Big Push project because the Ministry of Roads is carrying out an aggressive project to construct roads across the country,” he said.

The Minister explained that road construction projects account for approximately 49% of all fibre cuts recorded across the country.

He said the extensive road works being undertaken under the government’s Big Push programme have increased the risk of telecommunications cables being damaged during construction activities.

The resulting disruptions not only affect mobile and internet services but also create an additional financial burden for telecommunications companies, which must repeatedly repair damaged fibre networks.

Sam George said fibre cuts have remained a major challenge to Ghana’s telecommunications sector over the past several years.

Ghana recorded approximately:

3,900 fibre cuts in 2021

More than 10,000 in 2022

Over 6,000 in 2023

More than 5,600 in 2024

About 8,000 in 2025

By the end of June 2026, the country had already recorded nearly 4,300 fibre cuts.

The Minister said that if the current trend continued, Ghana could record close to 9,000 fibre-cut incidents by the end of 2026.

Sam George stressed that the financial implications go beyond the immediate cost of repairing damaged cables.

He explained that money spent by telecommunications companies on restoring fibre infrastructure could otherwise be used to construct new telecommunications sites and improve network coverage, particularly in underserved areas.

The repeated cuts therefore make it more difficult for operators to direct sufficient resources towards expanding and strengthening Ghana’s digital infrastructure.

Despite the challenges, the Minister said government remained committed to expanding telecommunications infrastructure and improving connectivity across the country.

He disclosed that the government had significantly increased its target for new telecommunications sites, moving from 50 sites in 2025 to 800 sites in 2026.

Sam George maintained that protecting existing fibre infrastructure would be essential to achieving the country’s telecommunications expansion goals.

He stressed that reducing fibre damage would help ensure that funds allocated for expanding telecommunications infrastructure are not continually diverted towards costly repairs.

A 41-year-old primary school teacher in Malawi has allegedly faked his own death and submitted forged documents to have an outstanding loan cancelled, only to be discovered alive after reportedly returning to the same financial institution to apply for another loan.

The incident, which has sparked widespread discussion about fraud, financial hardship and the welfare of teachers, reportedly occurred in Kasungu, Malawi.

According to reports attributed to the Malawi Police Service and Select Financial Services Limited, the teacher, identified as Francis Peter Mtema of Kalimanyungu Primary School, allegedly attempted to convince the financial institution that he had died to have his outstanding loan written off.

Mtema had reportedly taken a loan of K1,114,128.15 Malawian Kwacha (MWK), equivalent to about US$641.87, with an outstanding balance of K1,043,497.52 MWK, approximately US$601.15.

To support the alleged claim of his death, he was said to have presented documents including a death certificate, burial permit and a letter from a village headman.

However, the alleged scheme reportedly unravelled when Mtema returned to Select Financial Services Limited to seek a top-up loan.

An auditor at the institution reportedly recognised that the man seeking the new loan was the same borrower who had supposedly died.

The matter was subsequently reported to the authorities, leading to his alleged arrest at Kalimanyungu Primary School.

While the case has attracted condemnation from some members of the public, a commentary by Seth Afum A. Dankwah of the J. G. Knol Technical Institute in Adukrom-Akuapem has drawn attention to the broader economic circumstances that may have contributed to the alleged act.

Dankwah argued that although allegations of fraud and forgery must be dealt with under the law, the incident should also raise serious questions about the financial struggles faced by teachers and other public sector workers across Africa.

“A teacher should teach to live, not fake death to live,” he wrote.

The commentary described the incident as more than an alleged case of financial fraud, arguing that it reflects the desperation of workers who may resort to extreme measures when overwhelmed by debt and economic hardship.

The writer called on governments to improve the welfare and living conditions of teachers, while urging the legal system to ensure that justice is balanced with consideration of the circumstances surrounding the case.

He also appealed to philanthropists and well-meaning individuals to support people facing severe financial difficulties.

The incident has since reignited discussions about teacher welfare, low incomes, personal debt and the growing reliance on loans for survival.

However, authorities in Malawi are expected to handle the matter in accordance with the country’s laws, as allegations of fraud and forgery remain serious criminal offences.

Professor Kwesi Yankah has launched a blistering critique of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, raising a series of provocative questions about the conduct, public engagements and political neutrality of Ghana’s top judicial officer.

In a strongly worded opinion piece titled “Cheap Justice?”, the academic and former Minister of State for Tertiary Education questioned whether recent actions by the Chief Justice have weakened public confidence in the Judiciary.

Prof. Yankah’s intervention comes amid growing controversy over comments made by Baffoe-Bonnie during visits to state institutions, where he praised what he described as improved performance under the current administration while making comparisons with the previous government.

1. Has the Chief Justice crossed the political line?

At the heart of Prof. Yankah’s criticism is the Chief Justice’s recent engagement with state-owned enterprises.

According to Yankah, Baffoe-Bonnie appeared to venture beyond the traditional boundaries expected of the head of the Judiciary when he commented on the performance of public institutions and contrasted their current output with the situation under the previous administration.

The professor described the episode as the “last straw”, arguing that the Chief Justice appeared to have entered territory that was more political than judicial.

He suggested that such comments could damage the moral authority of the Judiciary, particularly when the institution is expected to remain independent and above partisan political contests.

2. ‘What happened to judicial neutrality?’

Prof. Yankah’s second major concern centres on the perception of judicial independence.

He questioned whether a Chief Justice who publicly comments on the performance of governments and state institutions could continue to command the same level of confidence from citizens across the political divide.

His concern comes against the backdrop of criticism from other prominent voices, including former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo, who has warned that comments on politically sensitive matters could create a perception of bias if related issues eventually find their way before the courts.

For Yankah, the issue is not simply what the Chief Justice intended to say — but how those remarks could affect the public’s perception of the Judiciary.

3. From church dancing to political controversy

Prof. Yankah also revisited earlier moments involving Baffoe-Bonnie that, in his view, signalled a departure from the traditionally distant image associated with Ghana’s Chief Justice.

He recalled the Chief Justice’s appearance at a thanksgiving church service shortly after his appointment, where he was seen dancing and celebrating openly.

While acknowledging that there was nothing inherently wrong with such conduct, Yankah used the episode to paint a picture of a judicial leader who appeared increasingly comfortable operating in the public and political space.

He also referenced the Chief Justice’s participation in government delegations during international and national events, saying those developments had raised eyebrows even before the latest controversy.

4. The explosive ‘early retirement’ suggestion

Perhaps the most striking part of Prof. Yankah’s commentary was his suggestion that the controversy surrounding the Chief Justice could ultimately be interpreted as a signal for an early exit.

He noted that Baffoe-Bonnie has only a relatively short period left before his retirement and provocatively suggested that his controversial comments could be interpreted as an “application for early retirement.”

Yankah went even further, arguing that the Chief Justice’s conduct had already affected the prestige attached to his office.

His central warning is that once public confidence in the neutrality of the Judiciary begins to erode, rebuilding that confidence can become extremely difficult.

‘Cheap justice?’ — The bigger question

Prof. Yankah’s intervention has added another powerful voice to an increasingly heated national debate over the limits of public commentary by Ghana’s Chief Justice.

The Judicial Service has maintained that Baffoe-Bonnie’s observations were made in good faith and were not intended to undermine judicial independence, while other groups and individuals have called for restraint in his public engagements.

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has also rejected calls for the Chief Justice to resign, arguing that he is entitled to his own convictions.

But Prof. Yankah’s latest intervention has ensured that the controversy is unlikely to disappear quietly.

For now, one question hangs over the Judiciary: can the Chief Justice remain politically neutral in the eyes of the public after making such politically charged observations?

Prof. Kwesi Yankah has fired the latest salvo — and the debate over Baffoe-Bonnie’s conduct is only getting hotter.

Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has come under intense public scrutiny after remarks about the performance of state institutions triggered concerns over the perceived political neutrality of Ghana’s Judiciary.