Residents of Ankaako, a community in the Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira District of the Central Region, Ghana, say they are being forced to climb coconut trees in order to access mobile network signals for calls and internet connectivity, as the area continues to suffer a severe and persistent network blackout.
According to residents, climbing trees has become the only reliable way to catch even a faint signal strong enough for basic communication. They explained that the situation worsens during rainfall or when there are power outages, at which point the network disappears completely—even from elevated positions such as treetops.
The connectivity challenge is already affecting livelihoods and local economic activity. Some residents reported that contractors who had visited the area to initiate development projects abandoned their plans after encountering the poor network situation, which made communication and coordination extremely difficult.
Mobile money operators in the community are also among the hardest hit. Several operators say they have been forced to shut down their businesses due to frequent network failures, which disrupt transactions and make operations impossible. Some operators previously resorted to climbing coconut trees to complete mobile money transactions, but they say the practice is now too risky and often still ineffective.
Frustrated residents are therefore calling for urgent intervention from government authorities, non-governmental organizations, the District Chief Executive, and their Member of Parliament. They stress that reliable mobile network access is no longer a luxury but a critical necessity for education, business, healthcare delivery, and emergency communication.
Meanwhile, Hon. Shadrack Nimo Johnson, Assemblyman for the Gyankobo/Ankaako Electoral Area within the Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira District, has confirmed the situation. He said he has repeatedly reported the matter to the District Assembly, but no concrete action has been taken so far.
Residents continue to appeal for swift intervention to restore stable telecommunications access and prevent further disruption to daily life and economic activity in the community.
