Early March cutoff for 7 million Ghanaian mobiles

Cellphone communication across Africa is crucial. In most nations, SIM cards are available for purchase on street corners without any registration needed. Ghana has started turning that around.

7.5 million mobile phone users in the country could face deactivation on 3 March if they do not register their SIM card (image: AfricaOnline)

Ghana’s National Communication Authority (NCA) confirmed that around 7.5 million local phone users’ could face deactivation on 3 March if their SIM cards are unregistered. According to Paarock VanpPercy, NCA Director-General, the cut off date will not be extended.

Releasing a statement on Monday, the NCA confirmed the latest data revealed over seven million SIM cards remained unregistered. But, the NCA hopes to register all mobile phones in the next two weeks to prevent users being cut off. VanPercy, at a news conference recently, said SIM registration helps prevent crime and allows users to switch from one network to another without losing their number.

They added that around 1.5 million SIM cards submitted for registration were awaiting verification from several governmental offices to check users’ identity.

The NCA confirmed that on 16 January the total number  of SIM cards submitted for verification stood at 22,708,716. That is 98% of the total number of mobile subscriptions in Ghana.

Joseph Mayton