Government Announces Nationwide SIM Card Re-registration Exercise with Focus on Convenience, Biometric Verification and Data Protection

The government has officially commenced preparations for a nationwide SIM card re-registration exercise, following Cabinet approval, as announced by the Minister for Communication, Innovations, and Digital Technologies, Hon. Samuel Nartey George.

Making the disclosure during his keynote address at the 2026 Data Protection Commission Conference in Accra, the Minister described the decision as “difficult but necessary” in light of shortcomings identified in the previous SIM registration process.

“The failure in the last SIM card registration has left us with a difficult but necessary decision. After extensive Cabinet deliberation, we are announcing the beginning of the process for a new SIM card registration exercise across the whole country,” he stated.

Key Features of the Upcoming Exercise

Minister George outlined several measures designed to prioritise customer convenience and address past challenges:

• Live verification against the National Identification Authority (NIA) database for every registration
• Biometric verification as a mandatory component
• No strict deadlines or pressure to complete registration within unrealistic timelines
• Measures to eliminate long queues, including:
  • Self-service portals
  • Seamless digital and assisted registration options
  • Collaboration with the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications to ensure smooth rollout
• Full compliance with data protection laws, with the Data Protection Commission playing a central role in safeguarding biometric and personal data

“You won’t have the queues. You won’t have the deadlines that were unreachable in the past experience. We are going to make sure that the citizen is placed at the front of this registration,” the Minister assured.

He emphasised that trust in the process must be paramount: “The Data Protection Commission must be central to ensuring that even as biometric data is collected and processed, it is done with the principal consideration of protecting the customer. Trust must be elevated above all other considerations.”

Rationale and Context

The re-registration is intended to strengthen:

• Data integrity in the telecommunications sector
• National security through better identification and traceability
• Consumer protection by aligning mobile subscriber data with verified national ID records

The National Communications Authority (NCA) is currently engaging stakeholders — including telecom operators, consumer groups, civil society, and the Data Protection Commission — to finalise the rollout framework, timelines, and implementation guidelines.

The Minister’s announcement comes amid ongoing public debate about previous SIM registration exercises, which faced criticism over long queues, technical challenges, missed deadlines, and concerns about data privacy.

No specific start date or phased implementation schedule has been announced yet. The government has promised further details will be communicated through official channels as planning advances.

Citizens are advised to stay informed via verified sources from the NCA, Ministry of Communication, and major telecom operators, and to disregard any unofficial communications or demands for early registration fees.

The re-registration exercise is expected to be one of the most significant updates to Ghana’s mobile identity ecosystem in recent years, with implications for mobile money access, national security, digital inclusion, and data governance. Updates will be provided as the process unfolds.