National Governance Update: NCA Mandates Stricter Telecom Standards as CETAG Ends Strike and Court Rules on KNUST Dispute

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has launched a significant overhaul of mobile service standards, mandating stricter performance benchmarks for network operators across Ghana to enhance consumer experience. This regulatory shift coincides with a major breakthrough in the education sector, as the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) officially ended its months-long strike on February 16, 2026. Together, these developments signal a period of intensified governmental and administrative activity aimed at improving public service delivery and resolving long-standing institutional disputes.

Under the new NCA Quality of Service (QoS) indicators, mobile network operators (MNOs) must now provide a minimum 3G data download speed of 1 Mbps and ensure that SMS messages are delivered within five seconds with a 98% success rate. The authority has also slashed the allowable call drop rate from 3% to less than 1%, while requiring a call connection success rate of over 95%. Crucially, the directive extends beyond technical metrics; operators are now legally obligated to provide network coverage to every town within all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), moving services beyond traditional district capital hubs. Failure to meet these standards will result in regulatory sanctions.

On the social and legal front, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection has issued a stern condemnation of alleged digital sexual exploitation involving a Russian national, Yaytseslav. The suspect is accused of secretly recording and distributing intimate footage of Ghanaian women without their consent, an act the Ministry describes as a criminal breach of cybersecurity laws. In collaboration with international and local law enforcement, the government is pursuing accountability while providing psychosocial support and legal aid to victims through designated helplines, highlighting a growing national focus on digital rights and safety.

Other landmark resolutions include a significant ruling by the Court of Appeal in Kumasi, which quashed a directive from the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST that ordered Professor Rexford Assasie Oppong to apologize to colleagues. The court ruled the directive a breach of natural justice and due process. Simultaneously, the resumption of lectures in Colleges of Education follows the government's disbursement of funds for 2022 and 2023 allowances. While CETAG members have returned to classrooms, the National Labour Commission continues to review outstanding issues regarding the reclassification of senior tutors, underscoring a cautious but optimistic return to normalcy in Ghana’s higher education landscape.