Residents of Abuorso, a remote farming community in the Eastern Region, are facing significant challenges due to unreliable mobile network coverage, with connectivity only accessible sporadically under a specific tree.
The absence of consistent mobile network coverage in the Abuorso community located 25 kilometers from Begoro is causing distress among its 1,500 inhabitants.
With essential services and economic activities heavily reliant on mobile communication, residents find themselves disconnected from the outside world.
A teacher who met at the spot with other colleagues awaiting network signal described the situation, stating, “This bamboo shed under this tree is where we gather to await network signal. We put the phones on these tables as soon as we see a network signal then we quickly make calls.The network sometimes comes after three days “.
However, privacy concerns arise as phone calls must be put on loudspeakers due to the risk of losing the signal if the phone is moved.
The impact of the network outage extends beyond inconvenience, affecting critical services such as healthcare delivery.
The in-charge of the Abourso CHPs compound lamented, “The major challenge we are having is network issue. If you want to make a call, you have to pick Okada in and out Ghc10 before you can move to the call center.”
Additionally, the absence of reliable connectivity has emboldened a gang of armed robbers, terrorizing commuters on the Abuorso to Dedeso road for over a decade. Opanyin Kwaku Kyere, a driver and resident, shared, “Because of the network issues, the armed robbers have taken advantage to terrorize us.”
Residents are urging the government to intervene urgently, with one resident pleading, “We are pleading to the government to help us get a network to enable us to communicate with our friends and family. We feel disconnected from the rest of the country.”
The Sustainable Development Goal nine(9) entreats countries to significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet.
It is the hope of Abuorso community that government’s rural telephony infrastructure extended to provide access to communication service to end their struggles.