There are days you wake up and realize that the things you once took for granted have quietly turned into luxuries. Once upon a time, it was kerosene. Then came petrol. And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is the internet.
According to fresh data from Cable.co.uk, Ghana today ranks as the second most expensive country in the world for fixed broadband, only the United Arab Emirates stands higher.
The figures are not the stuff of fairy tales: we pay about $2.58 per megabit per second (Mbps) every month. The UAE pays $4.31. But the question on everyone’s lips is simple: why us?
A Price Tag That Defies Logic
We boast about being the digital hub of West Africa. Our fintech ecosystem is envied. Mobile money transactions thrive even in places where boreholes don’t. But when it comes to home internet, our story turns tragic.
While our friends in Nigeria ($0.72), South Africa ($0.50), and Egypt ($0.17) browse with ease, we in Ghana still treat broadband like imported champagne, something to sip slowly and sparingly.
For a country eager to build a knowledge economy, it makes one wonder: how do we build a “Digital Ghana” when just logging on feels like paying rent?
The Monopoly Problem
Ah, competition, the salt of every good market, has become scarce in our broadband bowl. The few who control the pot serve it on their own terms.
Vodafone Ghana, MTN, and a handful of smaller providers like Surfline and Busy Internet make up the entire scene. With so few cooks in the kitchen, don’t be surprised if the soup tastes the same, and costs a fortune.
Much of Ghana’s fiber backbone lies in the hands of a select few. They charge high wholesale rates, and smaller ISPs have little choice but to pass these costs to consumers. It’s a case of “if you want to drink from the pipe, pay the landlord.”
And so, while Accra hums along at moderate speeds, places like Bongo, Bole, and Wassa are left staring at buffering screens, or worse, nothing at all.
The Infrastructure Gap
True, Ghana has seen some progress. Our shores are now linked to submarine cables like MainOne, ACE, and GLO-1, pumping internet capacity into the country. But the tragedy lies inland.
It’s like building a highway to the city and forgetting to add roads to the villages. Large parts of Ghana still depend on microwave transmission instead of fiber. It’s unreliable and expensive.
And then there’s our old friend, dumsor.
With power as unpredictable as a trotro’s destination sign, ISPs must invest in backup generators just to stay online. They burn diesel while we burn data, both at high cost.
The Policy Disconnect
On paper, Ghana’s digital ambitions are bold. The National Broadband Infrastructure Plan and Digital Transformation Agenda promise inclusion, speed, and affordability. But on the ground, our wallets tell another story.
Somewhere between policy and practice, the wires get crossed. Taxes and fees pile up, import duties, communication service levies, spectrum charges. Like a wedding with too many committees, everyone takes their share before the bride walks down the aisle.
By the time the internet reaches the average Ghanaian, it’s been taxed, marked-up, and sanctified, expensive, slow, and wrapped in red tape.
A Global Comparison That Stings
If you think this is normal, take a quick look around the world.
In the United States, it’s $0.08 per Mbps.
In India and Brazil, around $0.07.
Even Vietnam and China, once worlds apart from us economically, hover near $0.05.
So here we are, paying more than thirty times what others pay for the same thing. Thirty times! If the internet were fufu, Ghanaians would be eating it in teaspoons.
It’s a quiet injustice, one that hurts innovation, education, and the simple joy of being connected.
Who Pays the Price?
The victims are not hard to find. They are the students who can’t join online classes because their bundle ran out mid-lecture. The small business owner whose virtual meeting keeps freezing. The startups trying to upload an app that never loads.
It’s not just about expensive data, it’s about lost opportunity.
In this economy, where the internet equals access, Ghana’s pricing has become the gatekeeper.
We speak grandly of digital inclusion, yet our broadband bill quietly excludes thousands.
What Can Be Done
The way forward is not hidden in the clouds. It’s right here on the ground.
We must:
- Open up our fiber networks, let new players in, break the monopoly, and allow fair competition.
- Rethink our tax regime. The internet is a public utility, not a luxury. If we tax it like champagne, only the rich will drink.
- Encourage partnerships that expand connectivity beyond Accra and Kumasi. Let the farmer in Kintampo stream weather forecasts without breaking the bank.
- Regulate with courage. The NCA must not only issue licenses but also ensure pricing transparency and fair play.
Emerging options like Starlink might offer new hope. If encouraged, they could shake up the market and make existing providers rethink their business models. For once, competition might do what regulation could not, bring relief to the ordinary Ghanaian.
The Bottom Line
Connectivity today is as essential as electricity or clean water. Yet, in Ghana, it remains a costly privilege. We talk about the “Digital Ghana” dream, but the price of entry is simply too high for most citizens.
Until we confront the forces behind our broadband pricing, the monopolies, the taxes, the inefficiencies, our vision of a connected nation will remain a mirage shimmering on the data highway.
So, as we boast of fintech revolutions and e-government portals, let us pause to ask:
Why should Ghanaians pay one of the world’s highest prices just to stay connected to the world they helped build?
Because when the cost of connection becomes a wall, the digital promise turns into a whisper, heard only by those who can afford it.
