Ghana’s Minister of Communications, Samuel Nartey George, has announced plans to form an interministerial committee within the next two weeks to address the high costs of internet data.
The committee will include representatives from the Ministries of Energy and Finance, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), and telecom industry stakeholders. Including the energy sector is particularly important since power costs account for nearly 80% of tower companies' expenses.
Analysts also attribute high data prices to the fluctuating cedi-dollar exchange rate and limited market competition.
The minister proposed two approaches: either lowering prices or increasing data allowances at the same cost, aiming for tangible improvements by year-end. As of early 2024, Ghana had 24 million internet subscribers, with a penetration rate of 70%. However, the ITU data reveals that mobile internet spending accounts for 3.7% of gross national income per capita, while fixed internet stands at 12.8%—both exceeding the affordability benchmark of 2%. A report also highlights that many Ghanaians spend more on data than food, underscoring the urgency of cost reductions.
