Road construction continues to take a toll on MTN’s network cables, the General Manager, Network Operations, Mr Magnus Coffie, has reiterated.
He explained that the damage went well beyond major infrastructure works such as the Big Push programme.
Mr Coffie made the disclosure at MTN’s Regional Media and Stakeholders’ Forum for the Western and Central Regions, held in Takoradi, as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to improve its digital infrastructure.
He disclosed that MTN had spent heavily to relocate cables, particularly along the western corridors, describing it as money that could otherwise have gone into expanding the business.
“It’s a very difficult and painful thing to do because you could actually invest that money into other parts of the business,” he said.
He added that the company was investing close to GH¢20 million this year alone relocating cables along those corridors, even as it continued to extend fibre and roll out more sites to rural areas to guarantee service delivery.
Mr Coffie told participants that MTN had struggled for months in the Western Region because of the Big Push programme, but said the situation had since improved following closer engagement with the Ghana Highway Authority and the Department of Urban Roads.
He said the two agencies had since shared signed-off road drawings with MTN, allowing the company to identify exactly where roadworks would take place and move its cables in good time, reducing disruptions and improving the customer experience.
Beyond relocation, he said MTN was exploring alternatives such as running cables overhead, though this too came with its own challenges. The company was working with other stakeholders to secure overhead capacity along the entire Accra–Takoradi stretch, he said, to make it easier to reroute calls and strengthen network resilience.
On climate change, Mr Coffie pointed to MTN’s efforts since 2022 to cut carbon emissions, including installing solar plants that now supply about 50 per cent of the power used to run its transport network.
The initiative, he said, was aimed at making MTN more eco-friendly and sustainable, alongside efforts to manage waste, particularly plastics, “to ensure we don’t degrade the environment.”
The Chief Internal Audit and Forensic Officer at MTN Ghana, Mr Michael Gbewonyo, said that as MTN Ghana marked its 30th anniversary, it was a fitting moment to share its journey and successes with stakeholders.
He recalled that making a phone call from Takoradi to Cape Coast used to come with real challenges three decades ago. Today, he said, a business owner in Takoradi could meet a client in Accra without ever leaving her shop.
“What was once exceptional is now effortless. That is Ghana’s transformation story. It is MTN Ghana’s story too. But it is not a story we wrote alone. That is why this year’s theme, ’30 Years of Progress, Powered by You,’ means so much to us. Every mile we have covered was powered by our customers, our partners, our communities, our employees, and stakeholders,” Mr Gbewonyo said.
He gave the assurance that MTN would remain accountable, responsible and worthy of the trust placed in it by customers and stakeholders.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, TAKORADI