Ghana’s government will require telecommunications companies to fully fund a nationwide SIM card registration initiative, Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George confirmed this week, signaling a regulatory pivot that places financial responsibility on service providers.

The move, framed as critical to bolstering digital security, will be formalized through a new Legislative Instrument (LI) to be presented to Parliament.

“They will pay for it. I will make them pay for it,” George asserted during an interview on Channel One TV, emphasizing that the exercise aims to establish a “credible digital identity database” using the Ghana Card as the sole verification document. Unlike past registration drives, he clarified, this effort is not a redo of previous campaigns but a “reset” anchored in stricter accountability.

The decision marks a departure from prior cost-sharing models, including the contentious 2022 re-registration led by former Minister Ursula Owusu, which drew criticism for logistical flaws and financial burdens on consumers. George distanced the new initiative from that effort, stressing its focus on leveraging the Ghana Card to create a “single source of truth” for identity verification—a system absent during the last major registration in 2010 under then-Minister Haruna Iddrisu.

Central to the policy is the integration of the Ghana Card, a biometric national ID, to curb fraudulent SIM ownership and align with broader digitization goals. While the government positions the measure as a safeguard against cybercrime and identity theft, industry analysts caution that telcos may seek to offset costs through indirect consumer fees, despite ministerial assurances.

The directive intensifies long-standing tensions between regulators and telecom operators over fiscal obligations in Ghana’s competitive mobile market. With over 44 million mobile subscriptions, the sector is a linchpin of the country’s digital economy, yet companies have historically resisted unilateral financial mandates. The LI’s passage could set a precedent for future regulatory frameworks, testing the balance between public interest and corporate viability.

Broader implications loom for digital inclusion. While the policy aims to strengthen cybersecurity, affordability concerns persist in rural areas, where low-income users dominate. Critics argue that telcos, facing squeezed profit margins, might reduce investments in network expansion a risk the government appears willing to take in pursuit of systemic accountability.

The move reflects Ghana’s evolving approach to digital governance, prioritizing centralized oversight amid rising cyber threats. As Parliament prepares to debate the LI, stakeholders await clarity on enforcement timelines and safeguards against cost pass-throughs. The outcome will signal whether Ghana can harmonize regulatory rigor with sustainable industry growth a challenge resonating across African nations navigating similar digital transitions.