Ursula Owusu, Ghana's Minister of Communications and Digitalization, claims that since the country started registering SIM cards with fingerprints, there has been a discernible decline in SIM card-related fraud. While this is happening, residents of neighboring Nigeria, where the identical SIM connection effort is also occurring, are voicing concern about the fact that crimes like kidnappings are still common in many regions of the nation.
On November 30, SIM cards that are not biometrically registered will be terminated.
The Ghanaian minister recently declared that all SIM cards whose owners have not finished phase 2 of the registration process will be totally removed from the network on November 30 and will have their broadband connections completely cut off on November 20.
A representative of the government claims that 30,011,082 accounts have now successfully finished the initial registration stage, connecting their Ghana cards to their SIM Numbers. As of 9 November 2022, however, 20,892,970 users had finished the SIM card registration process's last step, which involves biometric capture.
"ICT should be available to everyone without danger, and the SIM registration process will address many problems in the sector. Since the start of the registration operation, there has been a discernible drop in SIM-related fraud, as we can all confirm, adds Owusu.
"On November 20, 2022, and on November 30, 2022, all SIM cards that have completed the first stage of the registration procedure but not the second phase will be totally deactivated. If you need assistance, kindly get in touch with the NCA or the appropriate network operator, she adds.
Owusu continues, "Another announcement on measures to accommodate those who genuinely do not have Ghana cards will be made shortly."
The minister emphasized the significance of the SIM registration process while also pleading with Ghanaians to avoid registering their SIMs using other people's Ghana cards and to register no more than ten SIMs per ID, as required by the government.
Despite the SIM-NIN connection, kidnappings still occur in Nigeria.
The reduction of insecurity and the frequency of crimes committed using SIM-enabled devices, such as mobile phones, are two of the justifications put forth by the government for SIM card registration with biometrics in Nigeria and Ghana, respectively.
However, a report published in The Guardian Nigeria shows that many areas of the country continue to see unabated ransomware and other crimes including kidnappings.
The minister urged Ghanaians to avoid registering their SIMs using other people's Ghana cards and to register no more than ten SIMs per ID, as required by the government, while highlighting the importance of the SIM registration procedure.
The SIM-NIN connection doesn't stop kidnappings from happening in Nigeria.
In Nigeria and Ghana, respectively, the government has argued that SIM card registration with biometrics is necessary to reduce insecurity and the frequency of crimes committed using SIM-enabled devices, such as mobile phones.
According to an article in The Guardian Nigeria, ransomware and other crimes like kidnappings are still occurring often in various parts of the nation.
The SIM-NIN linking has not been able to combat crime, according to an anonymous security official quoted in The Guardian, because communities do not completely collaborate with security personnel.
Another official noted additional problems, such as the lack of necessary tools, a shortage of staff and resources for mobile operations, as well as the high frequency of crimes.
In December 2020, Nigeria began enforcing the SIM-NIN linking. More recently, the government of the nation issued a directive to block more than 72 million SIM cards that were not associated with their owners' national identification numbers (NIN).