By Augustus Acquaye & Doreen Ampofo
The Ministry of Communications has announced an extension of the SIM registration by three months. The new deadline is now 31st July 2022. The decision, according to the Ministry, is due to the fact that over Seven-point-five million people are yet to obtain the Ghana Card and it would be impossible to end the exercise without them not registering.
Earlier in Parliament on March 22, 2022, some MP’s including MP for Ningo – Prampram, Sam George had called on the government to extend the exercise. On the floor of Parliament, he cited the recent stampede at the NIA Office over acquisition of a Ghana Card and blamed the Minister of Communications and CEO of the National Communications Authority for the mishap He said the incident highlighted the need for the district Offices of the NIA to be active.
Ranking Member on the Communications Committee of Parliament, A. B. A. Fuseini, who had also been commenting on the matter, requested that the SIM Card Registration should be extended up to the end of the year.
The Ministry of Communications and Digitalization in a statement dated March 22, 2022 extended the deadline of the SIM Card Registration to the 31st of July. A statement signed by the Minister Ursula Owusu Ekuful said considering the number of citizens who still do not have the Ghana Card, more time will be required for that and to also update the SIM registration App for the registration of diplomats.
The statement noted that a self-registration APP is also being developed to facilitate the registration of SIM Cards for Ghanaians abroad which will be operational by the end of April 2022.
