The Ghanaian mobile phone market continues to see sustained growth, with 400 thousand new subscribers in just one month. Contemporaneously, the Government chooses to invest significantly in the development of the fibre-optic network.

The mobile phone boom

The mobile phone market in Ghana is currently experiencing a strong upswing. This is confirmed by data compiled and published by the National Communications Authority (NCA), the Ghanaian public regulatory body for the telecommunications industry. According to the latest report issued in February, mobile phone subscriptions grew by 400 thousand units, surpassing the 31 million mark. In the lead is MTN (173mila), which remains the country’s leading operator, followed by Vodafone (123 thousand) and Tigo Mobile (61 thousand). However, a slight decline was registered for subscriptions to data services, which dropped by about 1000 units to 15,8 million. Overall the figures confirm a growing trend in mobile phones among the population, for purposes that go beyond a simple “phone call”. Research conducted by GeoPoll and World Wide Worx, in fact, reveals that the main activities carried out by Ghanaians on their mobile devices is the use of Facebook (54% of respondents), followed by Internet browsing (51%), sending SMS and listening to FM radio (both 40%).

The Ghanaian road toward digitization

The development of internet and starting a serious digitization process are top priorities for the Ghanaian Government, which wants to improve access to the network both in terms of the country’s penetration rate and speed and efficiency. To do this, however, significant investments in infrastructure are necessary, such as those put in place with the Eastern Corridor Fiber Optic Backbone project, inaugurated last May by President John Dramani Mahama. Alcatel-Lucent and the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), operational arm of the Ghanaian Ministry of Communications, have produced a fibre optic network connecting the North and South of the country, with the aim of connecting the central Government offices with their outlying agencies. The project, started in 2012, has cost USD 38 million, and has so far involved 20 territorial districts and over 120 municipalities. This is the first step in a programme that aims to modernise public administration, followed by expanding the benefits of this digitization to the education, health and law and order sectors.