No Signal, No Service: How Numereso residents climb hills to make calls

While digitlisation has transformed communication, commerce and access to essential services across the world, some communities in Ghana are still behind on the technological advancement ladder.

At Numereso, a community in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region, residents have been without mobile network coverage since 2019, a situation that affects daily communication, business and access to essential services.

Speaking in an interview with JoyNews, some of the residents expressed worry over the lack of mobile network coverage in the area.

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According to them, accessing a stable signal requires traveling to a designated spot on a nearby mountain in the community, often spending more than three hours just to make or receive calls.

They said they have to hire motorbikes in order to reach the location, a situation that impacts negatively on their finances.

Aside from the inconvenience, they are faced with the lack of security and privacy concerns as their calls are made in the open, leaving conversations exposed.

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"We have to make calls in the open, and people can eavesdrop on our conversations. From my house to the area with good connection takes up to 20 minutes. It exposes us to all kinds of risks, including being bitten by insects or reptiles. We are suffering and need the authorities to intervene," a resident lamented.

The Unit Committee Secretary of the area, Isaac Kyei Baffour Abebrese, said the absence of a network makes it difficult to alert the police or other security services of emergencies.

"Everyone in the area has to walk to this designated spot to make calls, and this puts our security under threat," he added.

Residents are pleading with the government and telecommunications providers to urgently address the lack of mobile network coverage in the community.

JKB/AE

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