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NCA’s ineffectiveness delaying Ghana’s internet restoration – Sam George
The Deputy Ranking Member on the Communications Committee of Parliament, Samuel Nartey George, has attributed the delay in fully restoring internet connectivity to the ineffectiveness of the National Communications Authority (NCA).
Since Thursday, March 14, Mobile Network Operations (MNOs) have been disrupted, leaving many Ghanaians without internet connections.
On Monday, March 18, the NCA announced that MNOs will reassess their operations and consider prioritising and allocating more data resources to key stakeholders while working with the Subsea Cable Landing Service Providers to progressively improve internet data capacity.
The stakeholders include a wide range of entities such as the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Ghana Association of Banks (GAB), Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), Central Securities Depository, Ghana Water Company Limited, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), MNOs, Subsea Cable Landing Service Providers, Ghana Internet Exchange (GIX), and the Accra Internet Exchange (AIX).
The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, also indicated in an update to Parliament that the government will immediately license satellite firms as a backup for network operators in the wake of the disruption in mobile network services.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr George pointed out that Cote d’Ivoire, which was the hardest hit, is faring better than Ghana because its regulator offered solutions.
Mr George argued that the NCA, as the regulator, was not living up to its task.
“Mr speaker, the cut happened off the coast of Cote d’Ivoire. Cote d’Ivoire was the most impacted country on Thursday. As we speak today, Cote d’Ivoire’s recovery is ahead of Ghana simply because their regulator had put in place the right mechanisms.
“In the case of AT, and if you ask what Cote d’Ivoire is doing, they are using MOVE. The MOVE operator cable. They immediately allowed all the other operators to pick it up on MOVE. When you speak about the success of AT, AT is simply able to carry traffic because they have redundancy using the Nigerian link. But is that not supposed to be a prerequisite for all the other operators in the country? Who is supposed to monitor that?”
“It is the regulator. So, if the regulator has slept on his job and today, we are found in this position, and then we want to raise our hands up in the air and say, oh, other countries that were affected have recovered and are recovering faster than Ghana because the regulators are proactive,” he stated.
Mr George further criticised the NCA for competing with the Ghana Chamber of Telecom instead of focusing on its task.
“Our regulator today is competing with the Ghana Chamber of Telecom. The Ghana Chamber of Telecom served the interest of the telecom companies and is their advocacy. The Ghanaian regulator is supposed to be the advocate for the rights. The NCA, the National Communications Authority, is supposed to be the advocate for the rights of Ghanaian citizens and customers.
“Therefore, updates that have been put out by the NCA are simply mirroring the statements of the chamber of Telecom. They don’t tell us what remedial actions regulatory policy are being put in place for the Ghanaian customer. They’re only telling us what the problems are. That is the language of the regulator. He’s going to tell you what the problems are. I am expecting the NCA to tell me what the solutions are, not what the problems are,” he said.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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