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Governance think-tank, the Strategies Thinkers Network (STRANEK) has warned that the government’s intention to cause a re-registration of all SIM cards is a misplaced priority that does not target the heart of the problem it is aiming to solve.
In a statement, STRANEK says that the efforts would be better spent in getting mobile telephone and mobile money transfer service providers to invest more in the provision of security for their operations.
“Instead of re-registration of SIMs, STRANEK-Africa have realised that if government urges mobile network operators to do more sensitization to the public on electronic money fraud and campaign vigorously against such menace, good testimonies will emanate from adopting such approach,” STRANEK stated.
“Also, mobile network operators are delivering poor services and it will be prudent for the ministry of communication and government to focus on ensuring network quality instead of re-registration.”
The statement is signed by STRANEK’s Executive Director, Nii Tettey Tetteh and its Deputy Director of Research, Eyram Norglo.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia told the 5th CEOs summit in Accra that the Minister for Communication and Digitization will announce the re-registration of all Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards in Ghana as part of measures to help in the formalization of the Ghanaian economy with the aim of helping curb activities such as SIM box and Mobile Money Fraud.
He said that the re-registration will be done with the Ghana Card after a six-month grace period .
But STRANEK questions the move, saying: “The question is, how realistic is this project considering the grace period in the era of the pandemic as well as capital expenditure and administrative costs?”
It accused the Vice President of using the re-registration to justify the existence of the Ghana Card,
It added that the Ghana Card was not properly implemented and that there are practical problems, including the fact that only 55% of the population have the cards and foreigners who enter the country would be effectively proscribed from using mobile money services if the Ghana Card is used.