• Ghana is exploring new solutions with Huawei to strengthen rural telecom coverage.
• The discussions focus on expanding the Rural Telephony Project launched in 2017.
• The government aims to connect 90% of rural communities by 2028.

Ghana is seeking to strengthen its partnership with Chinese technology company Huawei to improve mobile services in rural areas. The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) held talks with the equipment maker last week on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

The meeting focused on exploring technological solutions to support the expansion and improvement of GIFEC’s Rural Telephony Project (RTP), an initiative designed to extend telecommunications infrastructure and digital connectivity to underserved and unserved communities across the country.

During the discussions, Huawei presented a range of advanced rural telephony solutions, including the latest generation of telecom towers used in the RTP project. These infrastructures are designed to improve connectivity in remote areas by providing a reliable network capable of supporting stronger voice and data services. The company also outlined how the upgraded systems could improve network quality and extend coverage in rural communities.

According to Tanko Rashid-Computer, GIFEC’s administrator and chief executive, stronger infrastructure and improved network solutions would help accelerate the rollout of 3G and 4G services in these areas, improving access to digital opportunities, information services, and broader socioeconomic development.

The meeting comes as Ghana’s government aims to connect 90% of rural communities by 2028. Under the RTP program, GIFEC reports that 1,897 telecom sites have been deployed since 2017. About 77% of these infrastructures fall under the “Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion” project launched in November 2020, which plans a total of 2,016 sites.

The program benefits from Huawei’s technical support and financing from China Exim Bank, which provided the Ghanaian government with a $155 million loan in 2020.

About 42% of Ghana’s population lives in rural areas, according to World Bank data. Official figures also show that around 30% of Ghanaians were still living in unconnected rural areas in 2022. According to the International Telecommunication Union, internet penetration in Ghana reached 72.2% in 2025, while mobile penetration stood at 73.1%.

Isaac K. Kassouwi