Government has approved a completely new SIM card registration exercise aimed at fixing weaknesses identified in the previous national process.
The Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, disclosed that Cabinet gave the green light for the initiative after a comprehensive review of the earlier SIM registration programme.
According to the Minister, the previous exercise was plagued by several issues, including weak biometric enforcement, inconsistencies in subscriber data and instances of registration fraud. The new initiative, he explained, will therefore start from scratch rather than build on the existing system.
Mr. George made the disclosure during high-level discussions with the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications and the National Communications Authority (NCA), where stakeholders examined plans for the fresh registration exercise as well as Ghana’s roadmap for deploying 5G technology.
Under the proposed framework, the NCA will serve as the central repository for all SIM registration data. Biometric verification will also become mandatory to ensure that subscriber information is properly validated.
Another key component of the new system is the introduction of a Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), which will enable telecom operators to block stolen or fraud-related mobile devices across networks.
The government is also preparing a revised Legislative Instrument (L.I.) to provide the legal framework for the exercise.
Telecommunications operators participating in the meeting welcomed the initiative but raised operational concerns, particularly around the cost and implementation process.
Authorities have yet to announce when the new nationwide SIM registration will begin or who will ultimately bear the cost of the exercise.
The planned rollout will mark Ghana’s second nationwide SIM registration drive following the earlier exercise introduced in 2021, which officials say faced several implementation challenges.
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