In a press statement issued on 27 September 2026, Dr. Bandim said he was increasingly worried about the frequency and duration of the disruptions, as well as what he described as the apparent lack of timely communication to consumers whenever they occur.

Recounting a personal experience, he revealed that on Saturday, 26 September 2026, he experienced a major MTN network disruption while travelling from Salaga to Tamale. According to him, the network went off at approximately 11:00 a.m. and was not restored until around 6:00 p.m.

The lawmaker said he had also received reports that several other communities in the northern sector, including parts of the Damongo and Bunkpurugu areas, experienced similar disruptions. He added that he was further informed the network was disrupted again for a period on the morning of 27 September 2026.

While acknowledging that telecommunications operators can experience unforeseen technical challenges, including fibre cuts and other infrastructure-related faults, Dr. Bandim insisted such challenges cannot justify leaving consumers without timely information.

“What concerns me most is that when these disruptions occur, affected consumers are often left to speculate about what has happened,” he said. According to him, there is little or no direct communication to explain the cause of the outage, the areas affected, the expected duration, or the steps being taken to restore service.

He noted that while the nature of a fault may sometimes make advance notice impossible, the absence of advance notice cannot mean the absence of communication altogether. He suggested that where the network is down and SMS communication is not possible, radio, television, social media and other public communication channels should be used to keep affected consumers informed.

The Chairman highlighted the broader implications of prolonged outages, warning that they affect healthcare, education, businesses, emergency response and public safety. He explained that in hospitals, patients may be unable to communicate with relatives, while students and researchers who depend on internet connectivity can be seriously affected in their academic work.

He also stressed that businesses, financial transactions, transportation, media operations and ordinary citizens increasingly depend on reliable telecommunications services, adding that in emergency situations, the consequences of an extended network outage could be even more serious.

Dr. Bandim called on MTN Ghana to strengthen its communication protocols for network disruptions and ensure consumers are promptly informed whenever major outages occur. He further urged the National Communications Authority (NCA) to pay particular attention to the frequency and duration of network disruptions in northern Ghana and to ensure service providers meet their obligations to consumers.

He also asked telecommunications operators to develop effective contingency communication arrangements that would allow them to reach affected communities through alternative platforms when the network itself is unavailable, pledging to continue monitoring the situation and engaging stakeholders to understand the causes of the recurring disruptions and the measures being taken to prevent them.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanadistricts.com