Re-registration of mobile SIM cards is scheduled to begin throughout the nation later today, Friday, October 1, 2021.
The exercise is scheduled to continue for six months, concluding on March 31, 2022.
According to the government, the registration is intended to clear the country’s internet of scammers, as well as to monitor and hunt down those who use their phones for illegal purposes.
SIM card owners will need to register their SIM cards using the National Identification card, commonly known as the Ghana card.
Any SIM cards that have not been registered by the conclusion of this operation will be banned.
In a statement months ago, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia stated, “We all have to do it or else we’ll lose that SIM card.” That will really give us a real identity for all MoMo transactions. For example, it takes away fraud that is taking place like SIM box and through MoMo”, he added.
Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has attacked the action, claiming that a SIM re-registration effort would not address the problem of Mobile Money fraud as anticipated by Dr. Bawumia.
With that premise, he said that the Vice President is “ill-informed, inept, and highly naïve.”
“The solution to the challenges of fraud within the electronic money ecosystem goes beyond SIM registration,” he said.
“We hold the view that the mandatory re-registration of SIMS provides no substantial benefit in the fight against electronic money fraud, and will face practical challenges such as inbound travelers who require a SIM card without a national ID,” he added.
SIM re-registration steps
- Dial the short code *404#
- Enter Ghana Card Pin ( Note: Enter letters and figures without hyphens)
- Confirm Ghana Card Pin
- Enter Surname
- Enter First Name(s)
- Enter Date of Birth (Format: DDMMYYYY)
- Select Sex
- Confirm Details
- Submit Details Provided After Confirmation
Note:
1, If successful, you will get a confirmation message with a unique code
2, If unsuccessful due to wrong details, you have 3 attempts to answer security questions
A second stage of the registration process requires that users visit the office of their telecom service providers.
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