In a press conference on 22nd October 2019 an announcement was made to notify all and sundry of January 2020 of a sim registration exercise. We do testify that during the initial stages the simregistration for its first time was not an easy feet for us (Ghanaians) ;from the massive queue up to the entire registration procedure.

Ghana’s Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful announced in 2020 that all Ghanaians will need to register their SIM cards again or else find themselves disconnected. The registration exercise was scheduled to begin at the start of 2020 . “The registration of SIM Cards is part of government’s effort to fight mobile phone related crimes. It is also intended to help the law enforcement agencies to identify the SIM card owners, track criminals who use phones for illegal activities, curb incidents such as phone theft, hate text messages, mobile fraud activities, inciting violence, and to combat crime such as SIM Box fraud. She said (in 2020)

The Ministry then consulted all relevant stakeholders and hereby announced that from 1st January 2020, we will all be required to re-register our SIM cards. The question is what happened then and after?



Ghana’s Minister of Communications and Digitization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful announced that the country’s national SIM card re-registration process will start at the beginning of October and that all Ghanaians will have until 31 March 2022 to re-register their SIM cards. Panel on the Ghana Nieshow on Atinka tv with host EKOURBA GYASI SIMPREMU felt that the overall aims and projections of regulations that the re registration would achieve or should be well structured and attained. Perhaps it could be due to the increaseduse of communication services since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to facilitate e-education, or due to political /reasons would are yet to understand why the process has been brought up.

“Only an individual’s National ID card – the Ghana card – can be used for registration of SIM cards of citizens, foreign residents in Ghana and foreigners staying in Ghana for more than 90 days. Foreigners visiting Ghana can acquire a SIM card using their passport or travel card but they can only use the SIM card for 30 days after which it will be deactivated. Foreigners intending to use the SIM card for more than 30 days will have to obtain a non-citizen Ghana card to do so. “She said at her announcement.

“Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia announced atthe fifth edition of the CEO Summit, a two-day event held in Accra on Monday, May 17 and Tuesday, May 18, 2021 that in a recent development, Ghanaians will have to re-register their SIM cards with Ghana Card.Speaking at thesummit, the Vice President noted that any individual who fails to take part in the exercise risks losing his or her SIM card. This initiative was however allegedly disputed to by the Minority Leader, HarunaIddrisu who has argued that undertaking a SIM re-registration would not at a whole curb fraudulent activities or bring it at a halt.”

 

“We all have to do that otherwise we’ll lose that SIM card. That will really give us a real identity for all MoMo transactions. For example, it takes away fraud that is taking place like SIM box and through MoMo”, the VP added.

The panel on the show stressed fear that in as much there has been set in place a time line for the whole process to begin it could however be short-lived or delayed. there is no commitment or practical delivery to most promises been made by the minister and her team .It was brought to forth that it was alleged the minister in 2018 gave an emphatic statement that    

” her office was working with the ministry of finance to ensure that every citizen gets a smart device”.

“We need some form of commitment from the minister, ministry and the Telco’s themselves to solidify the procedure” Ekourba also added.

“We are told that the Ghana card is to be the means to get the registration done, then I ask is everyone having the Ghana card and if not what next, do we wait to get it all to the whole nation or what do we do to registration date drawing near the panel” commented on the show

Samuel nana Appiah Owusu (National Communication team member of the NPP)encouraged Ghanaians on the show to go and register for the Ghana card and bid to let everyone know that the process would run smoothly. “”The the government however would deliver on its promises for this sim re-registration procedure as well as ensure all hitches are prevented.” He added that the government has provided the communication ministry the tools needed and that the date slated would hold and meet succession.

One key concern that came to light on the show was,by way of how we were informed and encouraged to register for both the Ghana card and even the and sim registration with now the new procedure looks in vain or wasteful in terms of time ,money and effort spent to finish the whole procedure, How would this time be the last time we are doing this registration exercise to the extent that in some few years to come we wont have a turn around to that effect, Ekourba concluded .






#teamaob

#Jonathan Ardayfio