Ghana's telecom regulator delays 5G spectrum auction and tightens ownership rules

Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) has pushed back the deadline for applications to the 5G spectrum auction to 27 August and extended the licence‑fee payment period to 60 days, moving the final payment date to 17 November. The regulator also clarified that once a winner pays in full, a licence will be issued within ten business days.

At the same time, the NCA introduced stricter ownership requirements. New joint‑venture or special‑purpose vehicle bidders must be wholly Ghanaian‑owned throughout the application and award process, and any post‑award change in ownership involving foreign partners requires NCA approval. Foreign equity is capped at 49 % overall, with at least 40 % of any telecom company’s equity required to be held by Ghanaians. Mobile virtual network operators are now explicitly allowed to apply, but a winning MVNO would have to become a full mobile network operator.

The changes replace references to the 2013 investment promotion law with the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority Act, 2026, and aim to give prospective bidders more time to arrange financing while ensuring a competitive, locally‑controlled rollout of 5G services.