Samuel Nartey George, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, has promised Parliament that the government’s updated SIM re-registration process will be easy, safe, and cost-free for every resident.
As part of continuing stakeholder interactions before to the statewide rollout, he provided the assurance when briefing the Parliamentary Select Committee on Information and Communication.
The National Communications Authority (NCA) and the National Identification Authority (NIA) are working together on the exercise.
The Ministry stated in a Facebook statement that the Minister revealed important enhancements to the new system, such as required audit trails, real-time biometric verification, and more stringent accountability procedures to monitor SIM registration activities and identify accountable agents.
Reiterating that the process will remain completely free, he emphasised that Mobile Network Operators will not impose any registration-related fees on subscribers.
Under the new system, foreign residents will use the Non-Citizen Ghana Card for registration, while Ghanaian nationals will use the Ghana Card. Visitors or tourists must produce a valid passport and evidence of admission, while refugees must present the Refugee Non-Citizen ID.
While corporate firms will register using a certificate of incorporation and the Ghana Card of an approved signatory, diplomats will utilise official identification.
In order to guarantee that each active SIM card is associated with a confirmed identity, the Minister clarified that SIM cards will only be activated following successful real-time biometric verification against the NIA database.
Support for both Android and iOS devices, self-registration choices for physical and eSIM SIMs, remote SIM delinking, and real-time validation of corporate and diplomatic records are among the extra features.
Additionally, the system will include device verification via the NCA’s Central Equipment Identity Register.
The improved method, according to Mr. George, is intended to improve national security, lessen identity fraud, and stop the use of stolen or unregistered devices.
Strengthened verification procedures, he continued, would allay worries about phoney Ghana cards, and the use of One-Time Password (OTP) authentication would guarantee that SIM registration is only carried out with the legitimate owner’s permission.
Regarding inactive or non-compliant SIMs, especially those owned by foreign people, he revealed that these numbers would either have a 90-day validity term or be in line with the person’s legal stay, with automated systems to deactivate non-compliant lines.
In order to bring the exercise into compliance with financial and data protection laws, the Minister also emphasised cooperation with important organisations, such as the Bank of Ghana and the Data Protection Commission.
The Committee’s Chairperson, Bandim Lamangin Abed-Nego, praised the Ministry for its proactive involvement and thorough briefing, emphasising the necessity of openness, public confidence, and ongoing education to guarantee compliance across the country.
Source: newsthemegh.com