Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana expresses concern over unclear SIM card deactivation directive from NCA
Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG) General Secretary, Evans Otumfuor, has raised concerns about the National Communications Authority’s (NCA) new directive on deactivating unregistered SIM cards. Otumfuor stated that the directive is not clear and urged the NCA to issue a new statement.
Although the Ministry of Communication and NCA have been lenient in the SIM re-registration exercise, a lot of people do not have Ghana card to complete the process. Otumfuor stated that the directive “sends shivers down their spines” and urged the NCA to clearly state the fate of corporate bodies and businesses.
“Although the government has been fair and lenient with the registration exercise, to us the new directive is not clear. We were expecting government to put in measures to lessen the challenges”, he added. Otumfuor also stated that the policy is proper but the government should find ways to deal with the challenges in the policy implementation, like those who do not have Ghana cards and those who have problems with the Ghana card.
Starting from today, Monday, April 17, the NCA will delete all unregistered SIM cards from the database of telecommunication network operators. SIM cards that have not been re-registered with Ghana cards will be deactivated. Otumfuor’s statement came amidst fears that many Ghanaians will lose their phone numbers due to the new directive.
The NCA stated that the move is aimed at fighting cybercrime and sim-box fraud which is costing Ghana’s telcos millions of dollars. The NCA indicated that cybercriminals use unregistered SIM cards to carry out their activities.
The authority is, therefore, committed to ensuring that all SIM cards are registered with the appropriate documents. The move will also help the government to increase its revenue by ensuring that all telco subscribers pay taxes. The NCA has been urging Ghanaians to re-register their SIM cards before the deadline to avoid disconnection.