Consumer advocacy group CUTS International is calling for a long-term, structural approach to resolving Ghana’s persistent data pricing and quality of service challenges.
Reacting to the recent directive from the Minister of Communications mandating all telecom operators to invest in infrastructure between July and September 2025, CUTS West Africa Regional Director, Appiah Adomako Kusi, emphasized the need for deeper reforms.
Speaking to ABC News GH, Kusi acknowledged the short-term benefit of the government’s intervention: “For consumers, it is good, and the Minister has taken this decision to intervene because the market forces could not deliver on any competitive outcome. Government needs to intervene to correct it.”
He, however, noted that the dominance of MTN — which has been declared a Significant Market Power (SMP) — limits the effects of competition.
“MTN cannot sell data lower than what competitors are offering, so it becomes necessary for government to dictate pricing to ensure value.”
Kusi warned that without addressing the sector’s structural weaknesses, particularly the chronic underinvestment by AirtelTigo and Telecel, long-term utility for consumers will remain elusive.
“Until AirtelTigo and Telecel invest in their craft, we will not get any meaningful utility from those operators,” he said. “MTN is simply reaping the rewards of sustained investment. Until we resolve these structural imbalances, we might find ourselves back to square one.”
