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The Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has stated that cell towers and telecommunication masts do not pose health risks to Ghanaians.
He explained that the country’s telecommunications industry was highly regulated, with the National Communications Authority (NCA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) involved in ensuring that cell sites complied with approved radiation and safety levels.
“President John Dramani Mahama has brought us to serve you and he would never allow us to harm you. We sometimes hear of billboards falling during heavy downpours but never cell towers, and that’s because of the high standards and regulations in this industry. I want to assure you as your servant at the ministry, we won’t bring you something that would harm you,” he said.
Mr George gave the assurance last Friday, in Koforidua in the Eastern Region after inspecting telecommunications expansion works, following recent concerns and protests over the construction of a telecommunications mast at the Koforidua-Kumasi transport terminal.
He was accompanied by the Director-General of the NCA, Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko; the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey; the Administrator, Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Sofo Tanko Computer and other sector officials and local authorities.
Addressing concerns
The Communication Minister acknowledged concerns about radiation and proximity to populated areas but said scientific evidence had established safe levels for the environment and human health, adding that the government would not allow installations that would endanger citizens.
He said the NCA and EPA were involved in approving radiation levels at sites, while the equipment used also required regulatory clearance.
He further explained that cell sites were inspected every four years, rather than the standard 10-year period, a tight inspection regime which ensured that they remained within safety requirements.
Mr George further stated that no evidence had been presented to establish that cell sites caused diseases and urged communities to support telecommunications projects and use dialogue to address concerns.
“Even within the ministry building where the regulators and I work every day, we have an in-building installation. We would not do that if it posed a danger to human health,” he said.
On network expansion, Mr George said the country required about 6,000 additional cell sites to address persistent network congestion to improve the quality of telecommunication services.
He said MTN was currently deploying 800 new sites, while Telecel was expected to deploy about 350, bringing the planned expansion by the two operators to about 1,100 sites.
The minister also revealed that nearly 180 of the new sites had already been completed, with the government hoping to see more than 500 completed by December, and all 800
MTN sites operational by the first or second quarter of next year.
He added that the government was working to upgrade rural telephony sites to at least 4G and make them ready for 5G.
Mr George also urged Ghanaians to register for the government’s flagship One Million Coders Programme, which he said was designed to equip citizens with relevant digital skills.
He said about 140,000 people had so far registered, while approximately 10,000 had completed courses under the programme.
The minister said the government had signed agreements with about 12 universities, with another 10 under negotiation, to expand participation.
He said the University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) had made the programme compulsory for Level 100 students.
He added that many senior high schools were also expressing interest, with the government projecting that between 300,000 and 400,000 students could join the programme before the end of the year.
Currently, he said, about 160 district centres and nearly 200 institutional centres had been established, with plans to increase the number to between 250 and 300 by this time next year.
