Ghana’s planned SIM card registration overhaul will introduce device-level tracking and stricter user consent requirements, a cybersecurity expert said, as authorities seek to curb fraud and improve identification systems.
Abubakar Issaka, President of the Cyber Security Experts Association Ghana, said the new system will link mobile devices to users through unique identifiers and enhanced verification processes.
Details
Speaking on The Forum on Asaase Radio on Saturday (21 March) Issaka said the process would also introduce a consent-based system for registering multiple SIM cards.
“The objective is to ensure that every mobile device is duly registered using their unique identifier, which is the IMEI number…this is going to be used to merge with the number the citizen is holding, which in essence is an upgraded version of the SIM card registration process,” he told the hos Wilberforce Asare.
“We realised that the privilege was being given for a citizen to register more than one SIM card, but the process is going to be done in such a way that a primary SIM card will be identified,” he said.
“If I want to register any other SIM card, there is going to be a consent which will be sent via a one-time password to my primary number for me to verify that I am in full support of the registration.”
Physical interaction
He added that the registration is likely to involve biometric verification, which could require physical interaction with devices.
“If this is going to be a contact verification process, then that would mean we will still have an aspect of a little bit of a queue… I would have to bring my fingers to that contact device for it to verify that I am the bearer of the Ghana Card number linking it to my phone number,” he said.
USSD debate?
Issaka also raised concerns about suggestions that the process could be completed using short codes.
“From the technical point of view, you cannot use a USSD code to follow the procedure to successfully satisfy a biometric process. You can satisfy a biodata process… but to verify biometrically using a USSD code, I am yet to see a technology that does that,” he said.
He called for clear communication from authorities on the technical steps involved in the new system, particularly whether it will rely on contact-based biometric verification.
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.
Asaase Broadcasting Company airs on Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 99.7 Tamale, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra).
Affiliates: Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nandom FM 101.9, Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Sissala Radio 96.3 (Tumu), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale).
Listen online: atlanticafricanews.com/, Sound Garden and TuneIn.
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @Asaase997tamale, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaase99.7tamale, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, asaase99.7, AsaasePa107.3.
YouTube: AsaaseRadioXtra.
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/054 888 8995, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Tamale: call/WhatsApp/SMS 053 554 6468. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand
