Kwame Gyan
THE NATIONAL Communications Authority (NCA) says it has intensified its consumer education and sensitisation to ensure that all SIM cards are registered with a Ghana card.
This is as a result of the deadline extension announced by the Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, from 31st March to 31st July, 2022.
So far, it has covered about 170districts focusing on district capitals and rural areas to ensure that no consumer is left behind in this digitalisation agenda.
Some of the locations visited are Medie, Tamale, Bawku, Asanti Akyem, Bewkai, Kuntunse, Adeiso, Ahwerase, Tutuman, Agomeda, Akuse, Asutsuari, Ayitepa,among others.
The exercise is expected to help develop and build a SIM database with integrity, which will assist in the curbing of fraudulent activities and the securing of SIMcard based transactions. It will also aid in the determination of the accurate number of valid SIM cards on the various telecommunication networks at every point in time.
“As stated earlier and in accordance with Regulation 7(l) of the National Identity Register, the Ghana Card is the only Identification Document that shall be used for individual SIM Card Registrations. However, Businesses and Foreigners would be required to use the under listed:
Kwame Gyan, Deputy Director for Consumer and Corporate Affairs Division at the NCA, speaking at the Consumer Rights Day celebration recently at Ada, stated “We are hopeful that not only will the SIM Registration exercise create an avenue to ensure a well-secured communications database to support the Government’s development interventions, but the process will concurrently facilitate the registration of mobile phone devices in a bid to considerably reduce cyber-crime and related illegal activities in the country”.
The stakeholders include the NCA, Glo, MTN, AirtelTigo and Vodafone, Surfline, Busy Internet and Telesoland the National Identification Authority, among others.