In today’s digital age, internet data has become as essential as water and electricity, driving education, business, communication, and entertainment. However, the high cost of data in Ghana remains a major burden for consumers, limiting access and slowing digital inclusion.
Addressing this issue is not just about consumer relief but a national development priority requiring urgent policy interventions.
For many Ghanaians, internet data is one of their biggest monthly expenses, sometimes surpassing the cost of food. But due to high prices and rapid data depletion, most consumers cannot afford to stay connected always.
Mr Appiah Kusi Adomako, the West Africa Regional Director of Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International has said that several factors contribute to these high prices, including energy costs and currency depreciation, market concentration, and infrastructure gaps.
He said the high cost of electricity and the unstable cedi–dollar exchange rate impact telecom operators’ expenses, pushing prices higher unto consumers.
“While international reports suggest Ghana has some of the lowest data prices in Africa, these rankings fail to account for the cedi’s depreciation, which significantly affects real affordability,” he said.
Additionally, Mr Adomako said since MTN was declared a Significant Market Power (SMP), regulations have prevented it from pricing services lower than its competitors, AirtelTigo (AT) and Telecel. While this was intended to create fair competition, it has instead led to artificially high prices and reinforced MTN’s market dominance.
He said although the National Communications Authority (NCA) has introduced asymmetric pricing guidelines to help AT and Telecel compete, their lack of infrastructure investment has weakened consumer confidence in their services. As a result, many users remain with MTN despite higher prices.
The Regional Director said high energy costs contributed significantly to expensive data services, “so the government should require telecom tower sites to switch to renewable energy, particularly solar, and remove VAT and import duties on solar equipment for telecom companies to facilitate this transition.”
Additionally, “telecom services are subject to a combined VAT, GETFund, and NHIL tax rate of about 22%, which could be reduced to 15% to provide immediate relief for consumers and improve affordability,” he added.
He said that municipal assemblies also impose high, inconsistent fees on telecom operators, increasing operational costs, therefore, the Ministry of Local Government should work with local authorities to streamline and cap these fees to prevent excessive charges that ultimately affect consumers.
“To improve competition and service quality, the NCA should introduce licensing requirements that require telecom companies to reinvest a minimum percentage of their annual profits into infrastructure development.” “This would help AT and Telecel become more competitive, offering consumers more choices”, Mr Adomako said.
He said any government interventions should be carefully designed to avoid distorting competition or discouraging investment.
