Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Ghana’s Minister of Communications and Digitalization, has verified that NextGen InfraCo, the business that was granted the contract for the implementation of the 5G network, was, in fact, founded just a week before the contract was issued. The Minister defended this choice, claiming that the government’s establishment of NextGen InfraCo was a calculated step to enable the efficient and quick implementation of 5G technology throughout the nation.
At a press conference, Madam Owusu-Ekuful emphasized how important it was to have a neutral infrastructure business focused on 5G implementation and how no company had yet been awarded a contract that matched all the requirements. She clarified that the difficulties encountered in implementing the nation’s 4G technology—which, since its launch in 2015, has only succeeded in achieving a 15% nationwide penetration. The setbacks and delays experienced with 4G rollout prompted the government to adopt a different approach for 5G to hasten the process and avoid previous obstacles.
Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni expressed worry about NextGen InfraCo’s involvement in the 5G deployment at the same time that the company’s involvement was announced. He cited the company’s recent establishment and the absence of competitive bidding in the contract award. Awuni questioned the fairness and transparency of the procurement process in a thorough Facebook post, pointing out that the contract—which is expected to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars—was given through sole sourcing. Awuni claims that this action could discredit other qualified businesses and cast doubt on the fairness of the procurement procedure.
However, the government has set lofty goals to implement 5G services by the end of 2024, working with seven prominent figures in the sector to form the Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), which has also been granted a 5G license. Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, Tech Mahindra, AT Ghana, and Telecel Ghana are among the partners who are prepared to create a shared infrastructure for the purpose of providing 5G mobile broadband services at a reasonable cost in Ghana and maybe other regions of Africa.
These initiatives are a part of a larger project to introduce advanced digital services in fields including education, healthcare, and digital payments in order to increase financial inclusion and lessen the digital gap. Through the use of peer-to-peer (P2P), peer-to-merchant (P2M), and merchant-to-merchant (M2M) technology, the apartnership seeks to improve the lives of Ghanaians.
Furthermore, NGIC will be assisted by the multi-party collaboration in the full implementation of network infrastructure and associated services, catering to the enterprise and consumer sectors. One of the partners, Tech Mahindra, is in charge of creating a Cloud Native Core Network that operates by original equipment manufacturer (OEM) platforms.
Starting in Ghana and working its way across Africa, NGIC’s ultimate objective is to imitate India’s successful model of reasonably priced phones, digital platforms, and locally relevant content and applications. This model seeks to accelerate the digital transformation of the continent by lowering the cost and increasing the accessibility of high-speed mobile data.
