NCA Moves to Clean Up SIM Database as Fianko Cites Irregularities

Editorial Staff 2 months ago 2 min read

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has justified the planned nationwide SIM re-registration exercise, citing widespread irregularities detected during previous registration processes.

Director-General of the NCA, Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, said the new exercise is aimed at correcting past errors and building a more credible and reliable database of mobile subscribers across the country.

Speaking on Point of View on Channel 1 TV, Ing. Fianko explained that Ghana’s earlier SIM registration efforts were undermined by weak verification systems and incomplete implementation.

He recalled that the first nationwide exercise in 2011 suffered major setbacks due to the absence of proper identity verification mechanisms, with only limited manual checks conducted.

“The challenge with it is that there was no proper verification of IDs. What existed was a manual process in a few cases,” he noted.

According to him, the second registration exercise introduced stricter requirements by linking SIM cards to the Ghana Card issued by the National Identification Authority (NIA). However, it also fell short of its full objective.

He revealed that a key component of the process—biometric verification—was never implemented due to a lack of alignment between stakeholders.

“There was supposed to be a second phase involving biometric validation, but that did not happen,” he explained.

Ing. Fianko disclosed that audits of the previous exercise uncovered serious irregularities, including the use of fake identities, duplicate registrations, and mismatched photographs.

“We identified cases where different individuals used the same identity, as well as instances involving fake photos and IDs,” he said.

He stressed that the upcoming re-registration exercise will address these loopholes by ensuring that subscriber details are properly authenticated against a trusted national database.

“Our goal is to establish a single source of truth—where the ID provided matches the individual presenting it,” he stated.

The NCA boss also assured the public that the re-registration process will be free of charge, emphasizing government’s commitment to improving data integrity and strengthening the telecommunications ecosystem.

He expressed confidence that the new system, if properly implemented, will enhance security, improve accountability, and support the country’s growing digital economy.