Government to Tackle High Data Costs with ‘Special Task Force’

In a move aimed at addressing the concerns of citizens, the government has announced plans to set up a special task force to tackle the high cost of data in the country.

The decision, which was made public by the Minister of Communications, Hon. Samuel Nartey George, is a response to the growing outcry from Ghanaians who have been complaining about the exorbitant cost of data and its impact on their daily lives.

The Member of Parliament for the people of Ningo-Prampram and Minister of Communications Samuel Nartey George revealed plans to establish an inter-ministerial committee aimed at addressing the high cost of data in Ghana.

In an interview on JoyNews’ NewsFile on Saturday February 8, 2025, GBC Journalist, Sarah Baafi published the story that Hon. Sam George says the committee is expected to be set up within the next 14 days and will include representatives from various sectors, including the Ministry of Energy and Finance, PURC, and telecom industry stakeholders.

“I’ve given them the running order,” Minister George stated. “Hopefully within the next 14 days we’ll be setting up a committee… to look at the cost of data.” He emphasized two potential models for reducing costs: lowering prices or increasing value offerings. For instance, instead of reducing prices from 100 cedis for 100 gigabytes, telcos could offer more data for the same price—potentially increasing it to 150 gigabytes.

According to editor’s conclusions, the Committee’s mandate will include, investigating the causes of high data costs in Ghana, identifying solutions to reduce data costs and make it more affordable for citizens, developing policies and regulations to promote competition and innovation in the telecoms industry and finally engaging with telecom operators and other stakeholders to implement measures to reduce data costs.

The Minister’s decision to set up the Inter Ministerial Committee to address high data costs is a welcome move, and many Ghanaians will be hoping that it will lead to tangible results and relief from the high cost of data.

Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.

Michael Agbesi Kelly