NETWORK DISRUPTIONS IN NORTHERN GHANA:* *BUNKPURUGU MP DEMANDS URGENT ACTION

Chairman of 
Parliamentary Committee on Information and Communications and Member of Parliament for Bunkpurugu
Hon. Dr. Abednego Lamangin Bandim has expressed his deepest concern about the frequent disruptions of telecommunications services, particularly the MTN network, in parts of northern 
Ghana. 

The Information and Communication Committee Chairman explained that the frequency and duration of these disruptions, as 
well as the apparent lack of timely communication to consumers whenever they occur. 
He cited that on Saturday, 26 September 2026, he personally experienced a major disruption to the 
MTN network while travelling from Salaga to Tamale. 
The network went off at 
approximately 11:00 a.m. and was not restored until around 6:00 p.m. 
also received reports 

And also several other communities in the northern sector, 
including parts of the Damongo and Bunkpurugu areas, experienced similar disruptions. 

The Bunkpurugu lawmaker further argues such disruptions have implications on education especially on students and researchers who 
depend on internet connectivity to access educational materials, conduct research and 
communicate with their institutions can be seriously affected by prolonged outages. 
As well as businesses, financial transactions, transportation, media operations and ordinary 
citizens also increasingly depend on reliable telecommunications services. 

In emergency situations, the consequences of an extended network outage could be even 
more serious. 
Hon. Dr. Abednego Lamangin Bandim therefore believe that consumers must be placed at the centre of the response to 
network disruptions. 
It is not sufficient for a telecommunications operator to communicate only with the 
relevant authorities while affected consumers remain uninformed. 
The people who 
pay for and depend on these services deserve to know when a significant disruption 
occurs, what has caused it, and what is being done to restore service. 
Therefore call on MTN Ghana is needed to strengthen its communication protocols for 
network disruptions and ensure that consumers are promptly informed whenever 
major outages occur. 

He again calls on the National Communications Authority (NCA) to pay particular 
attention to the frequency and duration of network disruptions in northern Ghana and 
to ensure that telecommunications service providers meet their obligations to 
consumers. 
Also there is the need for telecommunications operators to develop effective contingency 
communication arrangements that allow them to communicate with affected 
communities through alternative platforms when the network itself is unavailable.
 While it is being recognised that telecommunications operators can experience unforeseen 
technical challenges, including fibre cuts and other infrastructure-related faults, such 
challenges cannot justify leaving consumers without timely information.