Day: June 20, 2024

Mr Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpe, Member of Parliament (MP) for Keta in the Volta Region, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on the alleged death of Jerry Kpesenu, popularly called Maya, who died in custody at the Keta Divisional Police headquarters.

The request by the legislator was part of activities initiated to seek justice for the deceased who was allegedly maltreated, beaten, and molested by the Keta police during an attempt to arrest him.

Mr Gakpe, in a petition sighted by the Ghana News Agency, stated that Mr Kpesenu, a respected landlord, had a misunderstanding with one of his tenants regarding the installation of an air conditioner upon which police officers were called to intervene.

‘According to multiple eyewitness accounts, the officer, instead of resolving the issue peacefully, resorted to intimidation, maltreatment, and physical assault by beating Mr Kpesenu with cables,’ he stated.

Mr Gakpe further stated that the deceased was subsequently arrested and detained at the Keta Police
station, where he died under alleged suspicious circumstances.

He said the sad incident had caused immense distress and outrage within Keta, and many believed that the deceased’s death was a direct result of the unprofessional conduct on the part of the Police.

‘Such conducts are not only a violation of the ethical standards expected of law enforcement officers but also a severe breach of the human rights of the deceased.’

Mr Gakpe, is, therefore, demanding from Dr Akuffo Dampare (IGP) to activate a full-scale investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of the deceased without delay.

He requested for an independent autopsy to be conducted to determine the true cause of death of the deceased.

Mr Gakpe indicated that the IGP should initiate disciplinary and criminal proceedings against any officer and persons found culpable in the death of the deceased.

He urged the police hierarchy to provide regular updates on the progress of the investigations and assurance of justice with the interdictio
n of all suspected police officers involved in the act until the final determination of the issue.

He said, ‘This petition represents the collective voices of concerned and law-abiding citizens of Keta, both home and abroad, and we place our faith in the Ghana Police Service to uphold justice and protect the rights of all citizens.’

The unfortunate incident occurred on Thursday, June 6, and the youth of Keta later held a press conference on Monday, June 10 to demand justice for the deceased family.

Attempts to get a response from the Police to the incident, had proven futile.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, the Overlord of the Wala State, has requested the Upper West Regional Police Command to furnish the Traditional Council with the report on the mysterious killings, which plagued Wa in 2022.

The request followed the killing of two private security guards in Wa on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, which had caused fear and panic among the people in the region and Wa in particular.

A statement signed by Naa Pelpuo and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Wa on Wednesday, said they could not fight fresh killings in Wa without knowing what had happened to the people arrested in connection with similar killings in Wa about two years ago.

Nine people most of whom were private security guards were killed in Wa in 2022 and the police made some arrests but nothing had been heard about investigations of those cases to date.

‘The Traditional Council has as a matter of urgency, requested for an update on the investigations into the previous ritual murders.

We cannot fight against fresh murders if we
have no idea of what happened to those people apprehended after the previous ones,’ the statement explained.

The chief indicated that the silence of the police service on the previous killings had, to a large extent, dampened the spirit of volunteerism in many people.

The statement said the Traditional Council had also requested the National Security details in the Wa Municipality to work hand-in-hand with the team of young men in the Municipality ‘who know the terrain better’ since security was a shared responsibility.

Naa Pelpuo said during a joint meeting of the Traditional Council and the Regional Security Committee (REGSEC) on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, some measures had been taken to ensure no life was lost in Wa again.

The measures included beefing up security with support from the Headquarters of the Security Services, increasing security patrols and security visibility in the Municipality and providing light at all the dark areas of the Municipality, among others.

The statement added that the Tradi
tional Council had also directed landlords and hoteliers to report their guests who went out only at night for them to be investigated.

Naa Pelpuo, in the statement, appealed to the people to provide the security services in the municipality with relevant information to enable them maintain peace and security.

‘We are assuring you all that these measures are being undertaken in conjunction with others, which for security reasons, we cannot put in the public domain.

Go about your work without fear, but with vigilance. Above all, support the system and put in place with valuable information and the Wala State will be free of these heartless criminals,’ the statement added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Abibiman Foundation, a nongovernmental organization, has commemorated this year’s Day of the African Child to address issues confronting young children in Ghana.

The Day is set aside to reaffirm commitment to nurturing, protecting the rights and well-being of every African child.

It was on the theme: ‘Education For All Children In Africa: The Time Is Now’ and brought together stakeholders and students from some selected schools in the Greater Accra region.

Mr kwabena Okine Ofosuhene, Chief Executive Officer of Abibiman Foundation, said the commemoration was a major platform to highlight the key issues confronting the African child and to find solutions to them.

However, he said children rely on the good decisions, choices and actions of those of the voting age, and were affected by policies and actions of stakeholders and governments.

‘It is, therefore, incumbent on us all to work together and ensure that the 2024 elections focused on addressing the medium and long-term social, economic, environmental an
d political challenges facing the country.

He called on the Electoral Commission to remain professional, impartial, and ensuring a free, fair and peaceful elections.

He said stakeholders must use economic diplomacy, advocacy and campaigns to sensitise, raise awareness and educate the public on the importance of maintaining the peaceful environment that supported businesses in Ghana to thrive and ensure sustainable livelihoods, peace and development.

‘It is equally important for us all to understand that working together to promote and protect the peace in the country, especially before, during and after Elections is also the means of promoting and protecting the needed conducive environment for our children in the community to thrive, to generate the needed resources to enhance socio-economic development,’ Mr Ofosuhene added.

He called on all the youth to desist from rigorous practices such as hooliganism, double voting and vote rigging during the 2024 elections.

Dr Albert Ahenkan, Professor at the Unive
rsity of Ghana Business School, said it was important to ensure students’ access to quality education and sound leadership to prepare them for success in the 21st century.

He said we must acknowledge that our children were the heartbeat of our nations and the promise of a brighter future.

‘Our Children are not just our future but they are our present, and it is our duty to ensure that they have the tools, opportunities, and support they need to thrive’, he added.

He said as we celebrate the Day, it was time we confront the stark realities that many of our children face across the continent, saying millions of children are deprived of basic necessities such as education, healthcare, and protection which made them vulnerable to exploitation, violence, and poverty.

Dr Ahenkan said government must prioritise policies and programmes that support children’s rights by allocating adequate resources to education, healthcare, and child protection services.

Government must also enforce laws that safeguard children’
s rights and hold accountable those who violate them, he added.

He encouraged communities and families to educate their children on their rights, education and health for their own safety and benefits.

Source: Ghana News Agency

As the 2024 closed fishing season commences on July 1, Tema Newtown shivers with uncomfortable memories of deaths and injuries associated with the previous 2023 closed season.

The closed season, instituted as part of measures to curb the depletion of Ghana’s fish stock and allow fish spawning, kicked off in 2019 after several consultations and meetings among the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Fisheries Commission and relevant stakeholders.

The two-month closed period for industrial fishermen and the one-month season for artisanal fishermen is backed by Section 84 of the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625) which empowers the Ministry and the Fisheries Commission to declare a closed fishing season as a measure to ensure that fishes spawn at least once in their lifetime before caught by fishers.

Closed Season Homowo Incident

Despite the various complaints of lack of alternative work during the closed season and the government, through the ministry, providing what fishers describe as unsustainable food
packages to them, the fishing community of Tema Manhean (Newtown) manages to comply with the directive not to fish for one month.

In the early hours of July 27, 2023, the community was thrown into a state of mourning, which is forbidden in the Ga community as it desecrates the annual Homowo period (a festival meaning hooting at hunger, celebrated to remember the famine its forefathers experienced), which in this case coincides with the closed season.

The fishers woke up to the news of the death of two fishermen after an alleged encounter with the security of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), which saw their canoe capsizing at sea when they went on a fishing expedition.

It turned out that even though it was left with three days for the sea to be opened for fishing activities for artisanal fishers, the Tema Traditional Council had made a special arrangement with the Ministry to allow a designated crew to fish for the specified fishes needed for the performance of traditional rites towards the ce
lebration of the annual Homowo festival.

Nii Odametey II, the Tema Awudum Chief Fisherman, explained to the Ghana News Agency that the Ga communities were in their festival period and therefore needed to go on the expedition as their festival had always been held at that time of the year before the introduction of the closed season.

In response to the traditional leaders, fishers, and youth of the town, calling for justice, the Tema Metropolitan Security Council (MESEC), headed by Mr. Yohane Amarh Ashitey, a native of Tema, constituted a five-member committee to look into the incident and make recommendations.

After several weeks of work and a report presented to MESEC, the people are yet to receive any information on the said report.

The Tema Traditional Council’s (TTC) Stool Secretary and Shipi, Nii Armah Soumponu II, is wondering what has happened to the said report after almost a year, stressing that ‘Last year in July, in a similar situation, two people lost their lives at sea during a fishing expedi
tion that preceded the Homowo festival.’

‘A committee was formed, and up to now, we don’t know the outcome. We don’t know whether we have misconducted ourselves in any way, so we can take precautions,’ adding that ‘if we have erred in a way, at least it must be brought to our attention; we have not seen any paper on it.’

Kplejoo Festival Killings

On Friday, April 12, 2024, yet another tragedy hit Tema Manhean during its final Kplejoo festival procession by the youth.

Kplejoo, which is a planting of seeds festival, is one of the two festivals celebrated by the people of Tema. It precedes the Homowo celebrations.

It is the period used for the planting of maize; a ban on drumming and noise-making is also put in place to allow for some calmness in the environment for the seeds to sprout.

One of the keys features of the occasion is the traditional Kple dance, a preserve of the traditional priests and priestesses who are required to dance within the confines of the shrines of the four principal gods of Tema.
Their coordinated movements amidst singing extol the gods and the recall of their protection and ancestral deeds while praying to them for a bumper harvest.

The Kple festival is also used by the youth groupings as a peer review mechanism. They go to town dressed in uniforms and fancy apparels, wave flags, and sing songs composed for their intentions.

They give praise to the deserving and shame and reprimand those who have committed unacceptable acts during the period. The practice is to mimic how their forefathers sacrificed and relocated from their ancestral village in the old Meridian area to their current place to facilitate the construction of the Tema harbour.

Death strikes again

On the night of the final procession, two men were reportedly killed and three injured when some Kplejoo groups, on their usual festive mood, clashed with the Navy at the Eastern Naval Command environs over some misunderstanding, which resulted in the firing of live ammunition by Navy personnel in response to attacks from so
me of the youth.

Mr. Adjei Tetteh, one of the injured victims, told the GNA at his bedside at the Tema General Hospital that, as a member of the Asafo group in charge of the barrier mounted at the Tema Newtown bridge area, he in the company of others moved the metal barricades to the naval base junction at about 20:00 hours, following instructions they had received earlier.

He indicated that upon reaching the naval junction, he could hear some gunshots from afar as the navy personnel were preventing people from using the road in front of the base, adding that the gunshots became intense, so he decided to run away, only for him to realise that his feet had become stiff with blood oozing from them.

GAF Response and matters arising

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), in its response to the incident, in a statement signed by Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, the Director General of Public Relations, disclosed that personnel at the Eastern Naval Base in Tema Newtown, had to fire warning shots to protect the sensi
tive installations of the base and repel attacks from some youth in Tema Newtown.

He said a vehicle belonging to the Eastern Naval Command of the Ghana Navy was attacked by a crowd partaking in the festival, leading to the damage of a naval vehicle and that three naval personnel on board sustained severe injuries.

According to the GAF, a mob, suspected to be part of the celebrants, later attacked the Tema Naval Base with stones and other implements with the aim of releasing three of their colleagues who were arrested and in the custody of the Navy.

‘At a stage, the security of the base was threatened, and in order to protect the sensitive installations in the base, warning shots were fired to repel the attack,’ he said.

This statement from the GAF did not go down well with the Tema traditional leaders and the youth.

They therefore resorted to performing some traditional rites against the killings of the two men and the injuries of the three, aimed at invoking the gods and ancestors to intervene in such k
illings and deaths during the celebration of their festivals.

Following these happenings, the Tema MESEC once again held an emergency meeting and referred the incident to the Greater Accra Regional Council for investigations due to the involvement of the Navy, which is a member of the MESEC.

Culture and Modernity

Culture, as was taught back then in primary school, is the way of life of a people. This covers various aspects of a group of people, from their language, food, dress, beliefs, values, traditions, and practices, which are often passed on from one generation to the other in various ways, including festivals.

According to a research (Shilliam, 2010), modernity refers to a condition of social existence that is radically different from all past forms of human experience, and modernization refers to the transitional process of moving from ‘traditional’ or ‘primitive’ communities to modern societies.

Conclusion

As technology advances, communities expand from their original native population to a more
cosmopolitan one like Tema, which is both an industrial and harbour city.

Through the transitional processes, the indigenous people are losing some of their culture and traditional practices.

The local Tema people are sacrificing their native language, Ga, to the teaching of other local languages in schools located on their land.

Their traditional leaders have also complained on several occasions that they are losing their arable land on which they rely on for farming to industrialisation.

The people of Tema are obviously being restricted from practicing their beliefs and traditions through the celebration of their festivals.

As the close season kicks in soon and the celebration of the annual Homowo draws near, stakeholders must find a middle ground to ensure that in Ghana’s quest to use modern practices to replenish fish stocks, contentment and culture of of the people of Tema Newtown who have already sacrificed so much for the growth of Ghana’s civil and military maritime endeavours as well as industri
alisation, should not be taken away.

A proper communication channel must be put in place between the traditional council, the fishers, and the relevant ministry and security agencies to ensure that proper guidelines are followed if there is a need to go on a festival fishing expedition in the wake of a closed season.

Exceptions must be made for the sake of safe and time honoured traditions.

On the Kplejoo processions made by the youth on the main street of Tema Newtown (there is only one straight road through the town from Tema Community One), measures must be put in place and proper announcements made to ensure that the procession does not impede the smooth movement of other inhabitants of the place, such as the Navy.

If needed, proper security must be put in place to ensure that no one gets disadvantaged over the other during that period and that, traffic is properly diverted through the industrial area into the town from the Bankuman/WAPCO road to avoid such clashes.

As much as modernity and moderniza
tion are important for human advancement, culture and traditions cannot also be done away with totally; there must be a way to blend the two beautifully without any casualties.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Asher Nkegbe, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) National Focal Point, has called for collective efforts and strategic approaches to reverse the current rate of environmental degradation to mitigate climate change and its adverse impact.

He said environmental degradation continued to pose significant threats to global, national and local targets, deepening the already environmental crisis and underscoring the need for all stakeholders at all levels to get involved to ensure sustainable practices to reverse the trend.

‘Today, the future of our land is on the line,’ Dr Nkegbe, who is also the Upper East Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said.

‘Globally, we are degrading about 100 million hectares of healthy and productive lands. Our soils, which take up to hundreds of years to form are being depleted in a matter of minutes.

‘Every second, the equivalent of four football fields of healthy lands is degraded. It is more important than ever to engage
current and future generations to halt and reverse these alarming trends since we depend on land for our survival.’

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in line with the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, Dr Nkegbe said promoting good environmental management practices would not only help restore degraded lands but would help curb drought, desertification and floods while increasing agriculture productivity and employment opportunities.

This year’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is being marked on the theme: ‘United for the Land: Our Heritage, Our Future’, which calls for global efforts to raise awareness about desertification and drought, to ensure sustainable land management practices as well as preventive and recovery methods from drought.

This year’s celebration also coincides with the 30th anniversary of the United Nations to Combat Desertification, which is the sole global agreement dedicated to sustainable land management, ratified by 196 countries and t
he European Union.

Dr Nkegbe emphasised that Ghana and the Upper East Region in particular continued to grapple with environmental destruction and identified overgrazing, annual bushfires, unsustainable mining and indiscriminate tree felling among others as root causes of such destruction.

These activities, he said, were perpetuated by actors in the environment value chain and those stakeholders had the power to reverse the trend.

He therefore called for collective efforts from all stakeholders, including the citizenry, farmers, political leaders, scientists, private sector and media among others to innovate and roll out stringent policies and interventions that would help create awareness and build resilience in communities to reinforce the fact that land is a cross-cutting issue relating to all the three conventions (climate change, biodiversity conservation and desertification control linkage).

He added that the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially goals one, two five, 13
and 15 depended on the sustainability of the land and encouraged practices such as agroforestry, woodlot, earth bonding, composting, stone bonding, natural regeneration, protection of water bodies, tree planting among others, especially along the Savannah Ecological zone which had been heavily depleted.

‘For this, Ghana needs to scale up the sustainable land and water management practices we have been implementing since 2008 under the Ghana Environmental Project, the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project, the ongoing Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining Project, to deliver a moon shot moment for the land as Ghana contributes to the restoration of the worldwide target of 1.5 billion hectares of degraded lands by 2030,’ he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

March 14th, 2024, saw a massive disruption of internet connectivity in several African countries. West Coast African countries affected include Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Benin.

It was reported that the disruption was due to several submarine fibre optic cables being cut.

These cable systems are the West African Cable System (WACS), Main One, South Atlantic Telecommunications 3 (SAT 3), and ACE.

On May 13, 2024, Main One reported the successful completion of repairs and the full restoration of services on its cable.

The nearly eight-week mean time to repair and fully restore services highlights the vulnerability of critical submarine fibre optic cable infrastructure, which circumvents the continent and links it to the rest of the globe.

Reminiscence

It reminisces the early days of 2002 when Ghanaians engineered the first digital internet connectivity via the satellite earth station at Kuntunse for a palsy 64kbps data speed and an unimaginable $21,000.00 monthly fee.

User access to this
shared bandwidth was via the then-fixed copper-based telephone line network and analogue dial-up modems.

Then, it was a constant challenge to provide access while offering shared access to 64kbps and, later, 128kbps internet bandwidth.

Today, internet access speeds on some smartphones exceed several megabits per second (Mbps).

At the time of the internet’s emergence in Ghana, most could not have predicted its effect on how we access information, communicate, play, entertain, do business, and interact with our governments.

The struggle of providing access to internet users was hazardous at best.

From the early analogue dial-up modems to the implementation of various last-mile technologies via the Ghana Telecom copper cable-based telephone infrastructure, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) implementation challenges, legally contested anti-competition practises, frustrations of access limitations to copper lease lines and associated sudden overnight 1000 per cent increase in their monthly access fees were major
concerns.

Point-to-point and or point-to-multipoint wireless systems deployment, WiMAX user access technologies, associated access frustration to GT towers, the regulator’s incapacity and incapabilities to regulatable the industry, the emergence of fibre optic cables and digging rights of way, the politics of access to internet connectivity on the SAT 3 submarine cable, its outrageous pricing, are but a microcosm of the struggles and frustrations of the pioneers of internet service provision in Ghana.

Internet Today

From the early internet days, the early 1990s, when access was mainly for urgent email, browsing a few web pages, and using early search engines, today, internet access is ubiquitous over your smartphone or via fibre optic cable to the home (FTTH).

Today, internet traffic encompasses all converged communications, voice, video, and data.

Today, Internet usage encompasses casual web browsing and crucial commercial, business, entertainment, leisure and commercial gaming, and e-government applica
tions and services.

Technologies, applications, and services include Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which transmits voice communications over the Internet, Cloud services (for data storage and software applications), Data centres (that house and host a multitude of servers and other network equipment for services such as email servers, web hosting, and online games), Content Delivery Networks (that deliver content quickly to global users), to today’s integration of Artificial Intelligence into every aspect of technology and human endeavour.

Internet networks are now a critical infrastructure that underpins all Internet services.

Threat

This growing dependency on the internet as the sole technological platform for almost all human technology interactions means that any disruptions to its continuous availability highlight its critical and crucial importance.

The vulnerability, robustness, and resilience of the network infrastructure underpinning the internet are a grav
e threat to countries’ national security, ‘a clear and present danger’ threat to the wealth of nations and most rightly so! Any disruption is a catastrophic event.

As a result, more and more urgent and essential steps are being taken globally to build and maintain more robust, resilient, reliable, and secure internet infrastructure. The infrastructure that encompasses the African Continent and integrates seamlessly with other global internet networks no less.

Search for solutions

Government agencies at the highest levels are now conscious of the potential threat that internet disruptions pose and are reacting and participating in the search for solutions at the highest level.

In response to the March 2024 disruption, the Ghanaian regulator recently announced that all operators, including mobile network operators, Internet service providers, and cable service providers, met to discuss ways to mitigate the disruptions and restore services as soon as possible.

Indeed, governments and telecom regulators in o
ther affected African countries are taking similar approaches to seek a collaborative solution to service disruptions in their respective countries.

Internet economy

In its e-Conomy Africa 2020 report, the IFC projects an African Internet economy of $180 billion.

Research shows a direct correlation between a country’s GDP and internet access in Africa.

It’s estimated that internet availability and usage positively impact GDP per Capita.

A 10 per cent increase in mobile Internet penetration can increase GDP per capita by 2.5 per cent in Africa compared to 2 per cent globally.

Ghana Internet Data

As of January 2024, statista.com reports Ghana’s internet users population at 24 million, up from 23 million in January 2023, indicating a penetration rate of 71.94 per cent.

Furthermore, there are 6.6 million social media users as of January 2023.

The top 3 social media sites accessed were WhatsApp, Facebook, and Tic Toc. Mobile Internet traffic as of 2023 costs $0.73 per gigabyte.

The full impact on the cou
ntry’s GDP due to the March 2024 disruption may not be readily computable; however, disruptions to telecommunications affect several sectors of the economy, including government operations, businesses, and financial services.

Prolonged disruptions can, therefore, lead to significant economic losses.

Resilience needs

Therefore, governments, regulators, engineers, and operators must urgently address the need for a robustly secure, redundant, resilient, and self-healing solution that eliminates future disruptions to the provision of internet services in their respective countries, including Ghana.

Achieving such a goal requires infrastructure integration, critical advanced technology implementation, and enforcement by Africa-centric laws and legislation based on similar initiatives in the more advanced countries.

In this article, the writer seeks to highlight and explore useful technologies and make some critical recommendations towards achieving this objective.

Solution layers

In the quest for an enginee
red, robust internet network based on the vast submarine fibre optic cable resources already ringing the African continent, the solution must be immune from any single or multiple points of failure.

A robust, resilient continental internet infrastructure must be complemented by an even more robust in-country engineered infrastructure based on on-land FO cables and microwave radio systems.

That is the only way to ensure that the final last-mile access to the customer is free of disruptions.

Thus, three distinct interconnected solution layers are identifiable. These being:

I. The African continental infrastructure,

II. In-country infrastructure.

African Continental Infrastructure

1.1 Current links

Several multiple submarine Fiber Optic cable systems currently ring Africa.

The total inventory of operational fibre optic cables reached 1.8 million km, and the total inbound international Internet bandwidth reached 26.9 Terabits per second (Tbps) as of June 2021.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 16.6Tbps, w
ith 91.7 per cent supplied directly via submarine FO cables.

North Africa accounts for the balance of 10.3 Tbps.

The usage recorded is still only a fraction of the total designed capacity of at least 406.5 Tbps available on the 31 submarine cable systems installed.

These figures are subject to rapid and significant change as several new cables are being installed today on the continent. (africanwirelesscomms.com)

Africa’s current submarine FO cable systems map illustrates the geo routes and capacities.

Diagram 1: African Undersea Cables (2023)

These are generally in three major FO cable groupings: the West Coast, East Africa, and the Mediterranean (Northern Africa).

The map illustrates the key landing cities of the continent’s multiple cable systems.

West Coast African cables generally terminate in Europe, London, Sisymbria, and Penmarch.

East Coast cables terminate in the Middle East and Asia, in cities such as Karachi and Mumbai.

Mediterranean Cable systems link Asia, typically Karachi and Mumbai,
to the east and European cities such as Marseille and Palermo to the west.

Cable Concentrations

An examination of Diagram 1: Africa Undersea Cable shows that most West Coast cable systems from Europe concentrate their landings in Lagos, Nigeria, Melkbosstrand, and Yzerfontein in South Africa.

However, Southern Africa terminated fibre cable from both the West Coast and East Coast of Africa, thus serving as a critical cross-connect between both cable systems.

The cross-connection remains crucial in engineering a more integrated, resilient, robust internet infrastructure for the continent.

Internet Provisioning

Almost all these fibre cable systems implement connectivity on a point-to-point basis, linking African cities individually via fibre optic cable pairs within the cable system to major global internet backbone infrastructure in these European cities.

Thus, Accra, and Lagos, on the SAT3 cable system, are linked via point-to-point cable pairs directly to the global internet Backbone located in Sisymbr
a, Portugal.

In other words, all internet traffic from Accra to Lagos, for instance, transits (routed) via Europe before arriving in Lagos.

A fibre pair cable within the SAT3 cable system originates from London and lands in Accra.

A redundant fibre optic cable pair continues from Accra to Lagos, Nigeria. That redundant fibre optic cable pairs from Accra to Lagos are usually not engineered to carry traffic.

As a result, any internet traffic from Accra headed to Lagos transitions to London before reaching Lagos, even though both Accra and Lagos are connected via the same SAT3 cable.

African Cites interconnect

Therefore, despite the many fibre cables, none appear to facilitate fibre pair links point-to-point between African cities.

This is typical for most of the cable systems that ring Africa.

This connection topology is crucial in understanding the reasons for the massive disruptions of March 2024, the difficulty in rerouting traffic onto alternative fibre cable systems, and the extended mean time to r
epair and restore service.

Ghana Experience

In the Ghanaian experience, the redundancy strategy for mobile network operators (MNO) and Internet service providers (ISP) was to connect to multiple alternative fibre optic cable systems available in Accra.

A case in point is MTN Ghana, which utilised fibre systems from SAT3/WASC, MainOne, and WACS.

All these cable systems were terminated in Europe, either Sisymbra, Portugal, or London, UK.

This redundancy strategy was considered adequate since simultaneous cuts of all three fibre optic cable systems were impossible.

However, the events of March 2024 have shown that that scenario was no longer credible.

Notably, at least one MNO, AirtelTigo, was unaffected by the March 2024 disruptions. Its entire traffic is routed south towards SA via East African cable systems to the global internet as opposed to Europe, where the cable cuts occurred.

This can be understood because their previous parent company was Asia-based.

Diversity

Therefore, if the MNO’s and ISP’
s redundancy strategy had dictated that at least one of the cables routed through SA to Asia, the cataclysmic disruption experienced by all the other significant MNOs would not have occurred or would have been minimised.

Examining the fibre optics cables that terminate in SA illustrates a diversified gateway redundancy strategy.

SA takes advantage of its geographical location to have fibre cable systems from both the West Coast, linked to Europe and the East African Cables, connected to the Middle East and Asia.

Therefore, in SA’s case, if the cables from the West failed, the East was always available, and vice versa.

SubmarineNetworks.com states it perfectly when it writes ‘The SAT-3/WASC and the West Africa Cable System (WACS) are most important international subsea cables in West Coast of Africa.

The WACS lands at the Yzerfontein CLS in Western Cape Town, the SAT-3/WASC lands at the Melkbosstrand CLS in Western Cape Town, South Africa, forming alternative gateways to South Africa.’

Multi-Gateway

The
experience of AirtelTigo, which did not suffer the March 2024 service disruption, coupled with the diversified gateway redundancy strategy of the SA cable architecture, offers the best lessons in proposing a solution for greater internet service resilience, stability, and vulnerability elimination.

The functional key phrase is the Diversified Multi-Gateway Redundancy Strategy.

Fail Proof Redundancy

A diversified multi-gateway redundancy strategy.

Cisco.com defines a multi-gateway setup as a network configuration with multiple exit points or gateways for the data to leave the local (in-country) network and reach other networks or the internet.

Besides redundancy and load balancing, multi-gateways’ true benefit in this context is the policy-based routing of internet traffic via different connected FO cable systems.

For a typical MNO operating in Ghana, the imaginary, hypothetical operator called MNO-1, implementing the diversified multi-gateway redundancy strategy would first entail choosing FO cables tha
t best deliver diversified terminations.

Thus, the fibre optic cables should typically terminate in Europe but also offer the capability to terminate in SA.

Further, the cable should provide terminations directly in the Americas.

Configuration

MNO-1’s internet access architecture, described below, illustrates how a Fail-proof, redundant, resilient internet platform MAY be designed.

MNO-1 chooses three fibre optic cable systems in this configuration to implement its resilient, failproof internet connectivity and redundancy strategy.

The MNO-1 cables are:

1. The WASC, 14.5-terabit bandwidth capacity

2. The ACE cable, 40-terabit bandwidth capacity

3. As the EQUIANO,144-terabits bandwidth OR the PanAfrican Cable system 2AFRICA, 180-terabits bandwidth.

WASC

WASC is the first cable. Configuration is as follows;

1. Connect di-directionally on the WASC, terminating directly into London, routing internet traffic to Europe and, by extension, North America.

2. On the same WASC, connect southbound to Yzerfon
tein, SA.

In SA, the WASC is cross-connected to East Africa cable systems such as DARE1 or PEACE, each with a 60-terabit bandwidth capacity. SA proper, the Middle East, and the Asia-bound internet use this route.

3. A third cable connection is possible on WASC, which links directly from Accra to Sangano, Angola.

This facilitates a cross-connect to the SACS, a 40-terabit cable system that terminates in Brazil and the Americas.

Thus, a diversified set of routed gateways is achieved on the single WASC: Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South America.

ACE

ACE is the second fibre optic cable system deployed in the MNO-1 network architecture.

Similar to the WASC, it connects di-directionally, terminating in Penmarch, France, and Melkbosstrand, South Africa, where it cross-connects with East Africa cable systems as described above.

Thus far, the MNO-1 network architecture results in 2 independent, mutually exclusive connections to Europe: London on WASC and Penmarch on ACE.

The SA x2 independent connection
terminates at Yzerfontein for WASC and Melkbosstrand for the ACE cable.

The architecture includes a direct link to the American continent’s internet backbone via Brazil.

EQUIANO/2AFRICA

MNO-1 may deploy connectivity to the latest, most advanced fibre optic cable systems, EQUIANO or 2AFRICA.

It must be observed that, in the MNO-1 network architecture, neither of the three fibre optic cable systems is set up in a primary and redundancy role.

All cable systems are at a PEER level, and routing algorithms or policy-based routing are implemented to route internet traffic automatically to their final destinations based on route efficiency.

Route efficiency is determined by route latency and hop count.

EQUIANO or 2AFRICA cable systems are the latest, newest, and most advanced cable systems circumventing the African Continent. While global tech giant Meta backs the 2AFRICA cable system, Google backs EQUIANO.

Their respective web pages state that these new cables deploy the latest technologies for submarine cab
le systems, such as Space-Division Multiplexing (SDM), Optical switching at the fibre-pair level, and branching Units for connectivity extension.

These technology features enhance capacity and flexibility, significantly advancing Africa’s and global internet infrastructure.

Unfortunately, Ghana does not land the Equiano cable directly but via land-based fibre optic cables from Lome, Togo. Research currently does not indicate whether 2AFRICA lands directly in Ghana.

Disruption Analysis

An analysis of the architecture and configuration above, in light of the March 2024 disruptions, would result in near-zero downtime for internet traffic.

March 2024 disruption scenarios would play out as follows. With both WASC and ACE cables cut towards Europe, Europe-bound traffic would reroute for both cables via SA cross-connecting to East African cable systems to the Global Internet, albeit with slightly higher latency and route hops.

All other traffic, i.e., SA, Middle East, and Asia internet traffic, would not be af
fected.

American-bound traffic would also not be affected, as it is routed to the Americans’ backbone internet resources via Sangoro, Angola, which is cross-connected to Brail.

Similarly, should there be disruptions on the East Coast cable systems, Middle East and Asia traffic will be rerouted via the West Coast cable systems through the European internet backbone network.

So far, in this article, we have examined the African continental fibre optic cable systems, leveraging that to achieve a more robust, reliable, and resilient internet architecture for the Ghana-based hypothetical operator herein referred to as MNO-1.

Experts have examined the current redundancy configuration before the March 2024 disruption and illustrated the more resilient and technically superior multi-gateway routing architecture in contrast to the default single gateway routing, primary, and redundant cable configuration.

Of course, the Multi-Gateway architecture results in a much more complex implementation and programming of ma
ster border routers and switches. However, these complexities are quickly resolved using Cisco’s AI tools set or similar tools.

Continental Perspective

The proposed hypothetical solution for MNO-1 will be typical for any operator in any other African country looking to implement a more robust, resilient, and failproof internet architecture for its people.

However, what is clear is the failure of the numerous fibre optic cable providers to facilitate direct connectivity between the various African countries where their cable terminates.

This situation is, even more, exasperating for landlocked countries.

Such connectivity guarantees resilient, robust internet to every single African country, facilitating seamless connectivity between each country without recourse to the global internet infrastructure.

An Africa-centric Internet infrastructure, hypothetically named RingAfrica-1.

Therefore, the push for better internet provision on the continent should be a fundamental pursuit of an Africa-centric organis
ation such as the African Union for all Africans.

Ghana Connectivity Resilience

In the second part of this article, the author will examine the options available for engineering a more robust, resilient, and capable unified internet infrastructure for Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia says achieving Ghana’s development objectives entailed the ‘collective ownership’ of the national vision with the collaboration of all key stakeholders.

He, therefore, underscored the need for faith-based organisations (FBOs) to work hand-in-hand with government to move the nation to its desired direction.

Vice President Bawumia made the call during the Second Biennial Joint Conference of the East, West and Mid-Ghana of the AME Zion Church held at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region.

Reflecting on the theme of the conference, ‘The Freedom Church: Securing our Future,’ Dr Bawumia emphasised the importance of collectively crafting national goals, relying on relevant knowledge and experience.

He said the theme evoked ‘stirring appeal’ to every citizen to believe in the country’s future and take deliberate steps now to preserve, protect, and secure it at all cost.

‘As with all nations around the world, we have had some very turbulent and troubli
ng economic challenges in recent times, yet this cannot and should not be allowed to dampen our confidence and faith in the future that God himself has for us.

‘We must determine where we want to be in the future and carefully plan how to get there. It requires visionary leadership to chart the path for the future and committed and dedicated people who strive to achieve their ideals and aspirations for the future,’ the Vice President stated.

‘Thus, if we are to truly secure the future, it is imperative that we carefully consider the implication of our current actions and inactions on our future and take steps to attain the desired goal,’ Dr Bawumia added.

He challenged Christians to reflect on how their actions and inactions could have a direct bearing on national development.

‘Would it be too much to ask that Christians complement their prayer vigils and revivals with honest diligent work?… Is it too much to ask that each individual commits to personal cleanliness and respect for the environment?… Can we
commit to holding leadership at all levels to account, irrespective of political or religious leanings, with the same passion with which we strive to uphold the rule of law?…Can the church reclaim its prophetic voice and mandate by being faithful and true to her divine calling?’ Dr Bawumia queried.

The Vice President, thus, commended the AME Zion Church for its invaluable contributions to the national development effort in the areas of healthcare, basic and secondary education, advocacy and promotion of social justice, noting that the denomination’s participation in the activities of the Christian Council of Ghana aimed at addressing critical issues of national interest also deserved commendation.

Expressing absolute belief that Ghana was on the cusp of greatness, Dr Bawumia challenged Ghanaians to believe that with oneness of mind, and a frank and open exchange of ideas, achieving accelerated national development was possible.

‘I have no doubt that the Almighty God has brought each of us to a time such as
this for a reason. He has divinely equipped us to rise up to the occasion and build our beloved nation Ghana,’ he stressed.

The Right Reverend Hilliard K. Dela Dogbe, Presiding Bishop of the African A.M.E Zion Church – Western West Africa Episcopal District, called on Ghanaians to reject politics of violence and division, noting that the process of choosing leaders should not lead to acrimony.

‘Politics should not divide us; it should rather showcase our diversity.

‘As the parties campaign, let’s listen to ideas, deliberate on them and choose the ones that best address our challenges. Peace is what we all desire, not conflict.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

A 21-year-old Okada rider has chopped off one of the hands of Mr Enock Kabutey, a 28-year-old farmer at Amlakpo, in Ada over a misunderstanding on speed riding.

Maxwell Tsiani Osabutey, the Okada rider, allegedly severed the left hand of the victim, who had cautioned him and his friends to stop riding their motorcycles with speed through the township to prevent the occurrence of accidents.

Mr Moses Teye, an eyewitness, told the Ghana News Agency that, to force the riders to slow down, the victim and his team created a straight, shallow hole across the gravelled road.

He said that in retaliation, the Okada rider, together with others, also dug a hole near Kabutey’s house to register their displeasure over their attempt to slow their movement.

This, the witness said, resulted in an altercation, during which the suspect reportedly attacked a member of the victim’s team, who sustained some minor injuries.

The GNA further gathered that on the evening of Sunday, June 16, 2024, the victim and his friend attende
d a programme at a pub in Kasseh, where they were ambushed by the suspect and his associates, who threatened him.

On Monday, June 17, 2024, the suspect allegedly attacked the victim while he was sitting on a bridge at Amlakpo, and during the confrontation, he removed a cutlass from his motorbike and chopped off Kabutey’s left hand.

The victim was rushed to the Ada East District Hospital for treatment and later transferred to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

The GNA learned that despite efforts to preserve the severed hand in ice for potential reattachment, the lack of an ambulance at the district hospital delayed the transfer to the teaching hospital, resulting in the inability to attach the severed hand.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Joseph Atsu Dzineku, the Ada Divisional Police Commander, confirmed the incident, stating that the suspect has since been arrested to assist with the investigation.

ACP Dzineku cautioned the public against taking the law into their own hands, stressing that ‘no matter
what the issue might be, it is not enough reason to take the law into your own hands.’

He also urged them to abstain from hard drugs and alcohol and encouraged them to report any issues to the police rather than seeking revenge.

Source: Ghana News Agency