Ankara,Türkiye– Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon. Mohammed Adams Sukparu (MP) on 14th May, 2026, called for satellite technology and stronger partnerships to be placed at the center of global efforts to close the digital divide.

Speaking at the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation Breakfast Meeting during the ITU Global Symposium for Regulators 2026 in Ankara, Hon. Sukparu said more than 2 billion people remain offline “not by choice, but by geography, by cost, and by the limits of terrestrial infrastructure.”

He argued that satellite technology “changes this equation entirely,” citing Low Earth Orbit constellations and high-throughput satellites as solutions for remote communities where fibre and mobile towers are uneconomical.

Hon. Sukparu highlighted Ghana’s own approach: a satellite licensing framework, licensed broadband operators, and embedding satellite services in the national universal access agenda to connect schools, support telemedicine, and give farmers market information.

“Technology alone is never enough,” he said. “Partnership is not a complement to this agenda. It is the agenda.”

He urged the 56 Commonwealth member states to use the Commonwealth ITU Group to forge commitments on spectrum harmonisation, joint procurement, interoperability standards, and shared financing.

“Let us leave this meeting resolved to make connectivity not a privilege for the fortunate, but a right and a reality for every person in the Commonwealth and beyond.”