Ghana: The government will not extend the deadline for the registration of SIM cards
June 5th 2022
Like many African countries, Ghana is currently in the process of registering SIM cards. This campaign, which began in October 2021, was due to end in March 2022. For several reasons, the deadline has been postponed to the end of July.
The Ghanaian government is warning people that it will not extend the deadline set for the nationwide SIM card registration exercise. This was stated by Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communication and Digitization, who clarified that all unregistered SIM cards will be deactivated by the end of July this year.
According to Ms. Owusu-Ekuful, subscribers and mobile phone users have had enough time and opportunity to register their SIM cards. She advised mobile phone users who have not yet registered to do so within the time frame provided.
The SIM card registration campaign started on October 1, 2021 and was due to end on March 31, 2022, but some factors have slowed down the process. These include the fact that millions of people had not yet obtained their national identity cards by this date. Thus, as of March 17, only 14 million SIM cards had been linked to Ghana Cards while more than 7.5 million citizens were waiting to obtain their national identity card. The deadline was logically extended until July 31.
When completed, this should build customer demographic databases for mobile network operators to help them develop better products and services. This data should also enable authorities to better regulate the sector, fight against cybercrime and improve e-government services in a context marked by the acceleration of digital transformation.
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