For many Ghanaians, the cost of mobile data has felt like an ever-increasing burden, a significant barrier in an increasingly digital world.
Access to information, business operations, education, and even essential communication relies heavily on affordable internet access. It’s a situation that has arguably been described by some as a “mess” inherited from a previous administration.
Against this backdrop, the recent assurance from the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations comes as a welcome signal.
Sector Minister Sam Nartey George has stepped forward, not just acknowledging the issue but outlining concrete plans to tackle what he describes as the high data charges.
The promise is clear; plans are underway to ensure telecommunication companies reduce data costs in the coming weeks.
The Minister explained to JoyNews a detailed, phased approach to delivering “meaningful relief” to Ghanaians. The strategy isn’t a single, immediate price drop but a structured process addressing multiple facets of the service.
First on the agenda, expected “in a matter of weeks, less than, less than a month,” is a “movement on value.” The Minister explained what “value” means in this context: if you currently pay a certain price for, say, 100 gigabytes, movement on value would mean you would get more than 100 gigabytes at the same price.
Following this initial step, the Ministry plans to make “another move on price” in “a few subsequent weeks.” Here, “price” means a direct reduction—paying less for the same amount of data, such as 100 gigabytes. Subsequent to addressing value and price, the focus will shift to improving “quality.”
Adding an interesting dimension to this process is the involvement of the International Telecoms Union (ITU). The ITU has reportedly sent a team to Ghana to conduct an “independent assessment.”
The ITU is currently undertaking its “own baseline study,” which presumably will inform or validate the strategies being pursued by the Ministry.
The Minister stated that these are “various tools at the disposal of the ministry,” emphasizing that the primary consideration during implementation is the user, or “the patient.”
This drive for more affordable data is also framed within a larger national digital vision. Hon. Sam George linked the effort to initiatives like the ‘Tekyrema Pa Hackathon,’ which aims to train AI engineers as part of President Mahama’s “digital reset agenda” to produce “1 million coders.”
The rationale is compelling: if you are training people in advanced digital skills like AI engineering and developing tools, affordable data becomes foundational.
The examples provided, such as building language models to assist speech-impaired people and developing voice-activated AI tools for local farmers who may not speak English or read local languages, highlight the potential practical impact of widespread, affordable internet access.
The ability for a farmer to use a voice-activated app in Dagbani to diagnose a crop problem and find a solution could literally be the difference between a successful harvest and losing their entire crop, impacting their ability to fund their children’s education.
Ultimately, the assurance from the Communication Ministry is a significant promise. After a period marked by what the Minister terms a “mess” of high data charges, the outlined steps—a phased approach targeting value, then price, underpinned by an independent assessment from the ITU and linked to broader digital transformation goals—offer hope for relief for millions of Ghanaians.
The coming weeks will be crucial in demonstrating whether these plans translate into tangible reductions that make digital participation more accessible and less burdensome for everyone.
