As instructed by the National Communications Authority (NCA), today, Wednesday, May 31, all active and unregistered SIM cards must be deactivated.
The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, initially announced the start of the re-registration process for all mobile SIM cards on October 1, 2021. The original plan was for the exercise to last for six months, but it faced various challenges, leading to multiple extensions.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia had previously stated that the purpose of the re-registration exercise was to eliminate fraud in the country’s cyberspace and to monitor and apprehend individuals involved in criminal activities through their phones.
These remarks from the Vice President were supported by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo-Dampare, who mentioned that the government’s re-registration efforts had aided the police in combating cybercrime during his appearance before the Public Accounts Committee on January 20, 2023.
On February 14, 2023, the government revealed that a total of 25,150,522 SIM cards had been successfully registered in Ghana as of February 9, 2023. They also encouraged the public to adhere to the registration deadlines.
Initially, all unregistered SIM cards were scheduled for deletion on April 17, 2023, but this decision was reversed following extensive consultations.
However, on the day before the final deadline, a large number of Ghanaians hurried to the National Identification Authority’s Headquarters in Accra in a last-minute attempt to obtain a mandatory Ghana Card. This card is necessary for the re-registration process in order to prevent their SIM cards from being deactivated.
