Residents of Abuorso, a secluded farming community in the Eastern Region, grapple with the challenges of irregular mobile network coverage, resorting to gathering under a specific tree to make essential calls.The 1,500 inhabitants, situated 25 kilometers from Begoro, face distress as crucial services and economic activities rely heavily on mobile communication, leaving them disconnected from the outside world.

The makeshift gathering spot, a bamboo shed under the tree, serves as the community's communication hub, where residents eagerly wait for network signals to make calls.A teacher who met at the spot with other colleagues awaiting network signal described the situation, asserting, “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 “.Privacy concerns arise as calls must be put on loudspeakers to avoid losing the signal if the phone is moved, further complicating their communication efforts.

Beyond inconvenience, the network outage significantly impacts critical services such as healthcare delivery.The in-charge of the Abourso CHPs compound highlights the challenges faced, emphasising the need for costly transportation to access the call center due to the lack of connectivity.

“The major challenge we are having is network issues. If you want to make a call, you have to pick Okada in and out of Ghc10 before you can move to the call center.”The absence of reliable mobile coverage has also emboldened a gang of armed robbers, terrorizing commuters on the Abuorso to Dedeso road for over a decade.Residents, like driver Opanyin Kwaku Kyere, attribute the increased criminal activity to the ongoing network issues, pleading for urgent government intervention.

“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.”

Residents are now urging the government to step in and address the connectivity challenges, emphasising their plea to "help us get a network to enable us to communicate with our friends and family."With the Sustainable Development Goal nine emphasising increased access to information and communications technology, the Abuorso community hopes for the government's swift action to extend rural telephony infrastructure and end their communication struggles.