Telcos must bear cost of SIM registration – Communications Minister vows

The Communications Minister has confirmed that telecom companies in Ghana will pay for the upcoming SIM card registration.

Samuel Nartey George spoke on Channel One TV on Monday. He said this measure aims to improve telecommunications infrastructure and ensure accountability.

He mentioned that preparations are underway to present a Legislative Instrument (LI) to Parliament. This LI will provide legal backing for the directive.

Mr. George emphasized that ordinary Ghanaians should not bear the registration costs. “They [telcos] will pay for it. I will make them pay,” he stated.

He also noted that an LI would be laid before Parliament soon.

Mr. George criticized the re-registration exercise done by his predecessor, Ursula Owusu. He clarified that his initiative is a new and comprehensive registration process, not a re-registration.

“This is intended to clean up and centralize the national SIM card database,” he explained.

He further stated that the new exercise will rely on the Ghana Card as a key identity verification tool. He called it the “single source of truth.”

This approach aims to ensure accurate and verifiable data collection, addressing past inconsistencies in registrations.

The Minister provided historical context about SIM registration laws from 2010 under then-Minister Haruna Iddrisu. At that time, there was no Ghana Card, which limited effective identity verification systems.

“The last LI on record for registration was 2010 by Haruna Iddrisu,” Mr. George concluded.