Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation Sam Nartey George has assured citizens that the upcoming SIM card registration exercise will address past shortcomings with a human-centred and technology-driven strategy.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on April 9, the minister offered a pointed critique of the Akufo-Addo administration’s 2021 campaign, which he described as a botched effort that not only failed to register millions of SIM cards but also triggered a surge in SIM-related fraud.
Sam George emphasized that this new initiative aims to deliver a seamless, secure, and stress-free experience, prompting citizens to wonder why they endured eight years of mismanagement and misrule.
The re-registration drive, anchored in advanced technology, plans to integrate biometric verification and enhance user accessibility to create an accurate and verifiable SIM card database. Government officials expect that the improved process will rectify issues of the past, which saw logistical delays, breaches of data security, and widespread public dissatisfaction. The previous effort, designed to streamline the telecom industry and bolster national security by linking SIM cards to the Ghana Card, fell short on multiple fronts. Despite several deadline extensions, millions of SIM cards remained unregistered, leading to disconnections and persistent concerns over digital accessibility.
In response to these challenges, the minister asserted that the forthcoming campaign is not merely an administrative update but a comprehensive overhaul intended to strengthen Ghana’s digital security framework and improve telecom regulation. Sam George highlighted that the exercise would be underpinned by an extensive public education campaign to ensure that every citizen fully understands their role and rights within the new system. The approach is designed to fix a broken system by leveraging technology to deliver a future-proof solution that deters SIM-based criminal activities and enhances overall service delivery.
The initiative reflects a decisive shift toward modernizing infrastructure and fostering accountability through innovative technological integration. With clear communication and enhanced user experience at its core, the re-registration exercise is set to realign the country’s telecommunications landscape. Observers are keenly watching the rollout, hopeful that the new process will finally deliver on the promise of a secure and efficient system that meets the needs of a digitally evolving society.
