Mobile networks in Ghana are repeating the SIM card registration exercise yet again, this is an order given to them by the government of Ghana as they have been accused of engaging in fraudulent activities around the scheme.
The government’s reason behind this is that it has been noted that use of fake identity cards had become been rampant and has been noted three years after the completion of the exercise.
The Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Boamah who disclosed the order, explained the re-registration must be done only if the National Identification Authority completed the issuance of the National ID Cards.
He told the six telecom operators namely, MTN, Vodafone, TiGo, Airtel, Glo Mobile and Expresso, that they must “candidly” re-run the SIM card registration exercise to help enhance security in the country.
“We definitely need to provide confidence and security in the use of electronic communications in Ghana. You would recall the police report of 2 340000 prank calls made to the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana National Fire Service in 2013. This is surely not the right use of the opportunities we are blessed with,” he said.
Parliament in 2012 adopted the Subscriber Identity Module Registration Regulations, 2011 (L.I. 2006) to give backing to SIM card registration in the country.
Existing subscribers who had either not registered their SIM cards or whose earlier registrations were invalid are required to re-register, failure to which their SIM cards will be de-activated.