Upper West to Get 70 New Rural Telephony Sites in 2026 — GIFEC

The Upper West Regional Manager of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), Mr Balifiama Jackalia, has announced plans to construct 70 rural telephony sites across the region in 2026 to improve network connectivity in underserved communities.

Speaking in an interview with Info Radio, Mr Jackalia said the region secured 70 out of the 461 new rural telephony sites earmarked nationwide, following assurances from the Minister for Communications and GIFEC’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tanko Rashid Computer to prioritize areas with persistent network challenges.

He noted that not all districts benefited from the allocation, but further expansions were planned.

He explained that in December, GIFEC conducted extensive fieldwork, including dry tests, to identify suitable locations for the new sites. The exercise involved visiting communities, taking geographic coordinates, and forwarding the data to contractors for tower construction.

Mr Jackalia also disclosed that a recent technical assessment revealed discrepancies in official records on existing infrastructure. While documentation showed 88 telephony sites built in the region as of 2024, field verification identified about 155 sites, including several abandoned or incomplete installations not captured in government records.

According to him, the discovery partly explained widespread complaints about poor network services. He said GIFEC had since completed a comprehensive audit of all sites—operational, non-operational, completed, and abandoned—and submitted the findings to management.

He added that engineers would soon be deployed to rehabilitate faulty sites as part of broader efforts to restore and expand network coverage across the Upper West Region.