Ghana to block all unregistered sim cards after October

Ghana will by the end of this month (October 2022) disconnect all unregistered SIM cards.

"All sim cards that have been linked to Ghana cards, but have not completed their second stage registration will be blocked from the end of October…" the communications ministry said.

A statement by Ghana’s ministry of communications on Monday, October 17 says this is a measure to encourage all to complete the registration process and not an extension.

The statement cautioned all those who had registered more than 10 SIM cards for personal use to delink the unwanted ones immediately or be blocked by the communication authority.

According to the statement, 28 959 006 sim cards had been linked to the Ghana cards, representing 62 percent of sim cards issued nationally between October 1, 2021, and October 4, 2022.

The statement further states that 18 930 664 sim cards have been fully registered to represent 44.28%.

In July, the communication authority extended the deadline for verification by two months to allow Ghanaians and non-citizens resident in Ghana to link their identity cards to their Sim cards and complete the registration process.

By 4 October, about 19 million Sim cards were fully registered, representing about 45% of all the cards issued.

Sim card owners must link their Ghana national cards to their Sim and then proceed for full registration and biometrics capture with their service providers.

The government says the aim of the Sim registration exercise is to protect users against fraud and ensure digital security.