A cybersecurity expert has called for strict oversight of any third-party involvement in Ghana’s planned SIM card registration overhaul, warning that data security and system integrity must be prioritised.
Abubakar Issaka, President of the Cyber Security Experts Association Ghana, said questions remain over how the process will be implemented and who will manage critical infrastructure such as the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) platform.
Ghana is preparing a new SIM registration exercise aimed at strengthening user identification and tackling rising mobile money fraud, with plans to integrate device-level tracking and improved verification systems.
Concerns
Speaking on The Forum on Asaase Radio on Saturday (21 March) Issaka raised concerns about whether such a third party could have access to sensitive national data.
“From the technical point of view, are we going to bring third parties now or is this going to be directly between the telcos and the NIA?” he said on Asaase Radio’s The Forum. “If this third party is coming to manage this CEIR platform, then we have to do much scrutiny.”
“Is he going to be the source of processing the Ghana Card data? And if that is going to be the case, my interest lies in whether the platform is secure, resilient and holds the highest level of integrity, and that the data is readily available and secure,” he said.
Public trust
He emphasised that the success of the registration exercise would depend on strong technical safeguards and public trust.
“This process needs the clearest form of communication,” Issaka said, noting that gaps in understanding could create bottlenecks during implementation. He added that literacy challenges could still lead to long queues if the system requires in-person verification.
“Our focus as technical people is to see the end results done. Results that ensure a very resilient database we can use to authenticate who a Ghanaian is and who is using a SIM card and also investigate cyber fraud. That is the bottom line,” he said.
Assurance
The planned upgrade forms part of broader efforts to strengthen digital security and SIM registration in Ghana, amid rising concerns over mobile money fraud and identity verification.
The Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, has assured Ghanaians that privacy protections will be central to the upcoming SIM card registration exercise.
The exercise, being prepared by the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation in collaboration with the NCA, is aimed at improving the identification of mobile phone users across the country.
Speaking on TV3 Ghana on Sunday, March 22, 2026, Mr. Fianko emphasised that privacy concerns are being taken seriously in the design of the new system.Ghanaian news subscription
“I am a mobile user myself, so I wouldn’t want to create a solution that will later become a problem for myself. I will not be in this position forever,” he said.
He noted that the NCA is working closely with the Data Protection Commission to ensure that the process meets required data protection standards.
“Because of privacy concerns, we are working with the Data Protection Agency. The LI itself is also building in provisions for cybersecurity, protection, and others. So, it is going to be an ethical process,” he added.
Mr. Fianko stressed that the primary objective of the exercise is proper user identification, not surveillance.
“I am not aware of any attempt to use this for anything that will hurt the privacy of the people or do anything that we haven’t communicated. The primary objective of the exercise is proper identification of users,” he said.
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