Effective January 2021, all new subscribers in the Telecommunication groups will be required to produce their Ghana Card to acquire a new SIM card, according to Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communications and Digitalization.
Also, For Businesses to register Sims in bulk, the Operators will be required to verify the Business Registration documents with the Registrar General’s Department and verify the identity of the Shareholder or the Director for Limited Liability Companies and Public Institutions respectively.
She said Existing subscribers will register their SIMS via USSD and a sim registration App.
The verification of all subscribers and businesses will be against the databases of the National Identification Authority and the Registrar General’s Department where necessary. Indeed, for the Businesses, in addition to verifying from the Registrar General’s Department that that Business is valid, a shareholder or director of the organization will have to personally be linked to the registration of the SIMs.
Individuals can register a total number of 10 SIM Cards across all networks and Foreigners will have a limit of 3 SIM Cards across all networks. Let me caution here, that people should not think that they can hide behind Businesses and register as many SIM Cards as they want. All SIM Cards registered to a Business will be linked to a Shareholder or Director of the Business and if a Business SIM Card is found to have been engaged in fraudulent activity, the Shareholder or Director will be held liable.
The NCA will develop mechanisms to enable subscribers (individuals and Businesses) to check and verify all SIM Cards which have been registered in their names at all times.
Foreigners visiting Ghana can acquire a SIM Card using their Passports or Travel Card but they can only use the SIM Card for 30 days after which it will be deactivated.
Foreigners intending to use a SIM Card for more than 30 days will have to obtain the Non-Citizen Ghana Card to do so.
The NCA has made it mandatory for the Operators to verify Passports and Travel Cards against an international database before registering and activating a SIM Card for Foreigners. Special arrangements will be made for diplomatic personnel living and working in Ghana.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com /Kofi Atakora
