The National Communications Authority has instructed Telcos to either block or deactivate over 11 million unregistered SIM Cards.
The Telcos have consequently complied since the May 31 triple extended deadline for the SIM card re-registration exercise elapsed.
The move has left affected subscribers frantically moving trooping to the offices of their network operators to have their numbers reactivated. This is especially because some have had their money locked in their mobile money wallets.
There is however a challenge; those who belong to the so-called “stubborn academy” had their Ghana cards which is a primary document for the exercise are easily getting back their SIM cards. The only inconvenience they will suffer is the trip to the offices of the Telcos and the attending queues. There are also the many Ghanaians who did not and still do not have Ghana cards through no fault of theirs. Such a category of people now have only one option to get their SIM cards back and that’s if they can raise GHC 280.00 for the premium service of the National Identification Authority.
Recently Member of Parliament for Ningo-Mprampram and deputy ranking member for the Communications committee Samuel Nartey George told parliament the NIA had instructed its officers in the districts not to attend to fresh Ghana card applicants but rather direct them to the regional and national offices. Well, my checks with the NIA indeed reveals there are no fresh registrations taking place at the NIA district offices. The offices are only open for distribution of already printed cards. The reason? Lack of money. Dear reader, you will recall the NIA boss Prof. Ken Attafuah and the chairperson of the electoral commission Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensah was summoned to brief Parliament over the decision of the latter to depend on the Ghana card solely for the limited and continuous voter registration exercise? Well, Prof. Attafuah disclosed the backlog of cards to be printed has been outstanding because his outfit has not been able to pay suppliers of the blank cards.
He told parliament a GHC100 million facility from Cal Bank had been released to pay the technical partners for the release of the consignments which had been locked up in bonded warehouses. Indeed the money was released and payments were made leading to the printing of the over 3.5 outstanding cards. The point must be made that the printing of the backlog of registered applicants has tremendously helped many register their SIM cards.
However, the NIA according to my sources is back to the same point of indebtedness. The authority has once again ran out of cards, due to failure to pay its suppliers. Government has promised to release money but that’s yet to materialize. As a result regular registration has been halted across all centres including the district offices that the Ningo-Mprampram MP talked about in parliament. This development has left mobile network subscribers whose SIM cards have been blocked with only one option of paying the GHC 280.00 for premium service or wait for the regular service to resume if the government honors the promise to release funds to the NIA. Such subscribers will also have to pray this happens within the next 6 months or they lose their SIMs forever.
In my engagement with the Director General for the NCA Joe Anokye before the deactivation of unregistered SIMs, he mentioned affected subscribers without Ghana cards should provide proof and their lines will be restored. I am now left wondering what form will that proof take given the fact that the NIA is no longer undertaking regular registration for such individuals to commence the process so as to get a slip for such clearance.
The Communications Ministry and the NCA ought to have appreciated the challenges of the NIA relative to inadequate funding so as to tie the SIM Cards Re-registration Exercise to the capacity of the Prof. Attafuah led institution in getting every qualified person a Ghana card.
Here is the case: subscribers are being punished for the government’s failure to release funds for the NIA which has created a shortage of blank cards. Regular registration by the NIA is on hold meaning only those with the means can get their SIM cards restored. Well, the Minister of Communications and Digitalization Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is expected to brief parliament today about the exercise. Hopefully, the house finds a solution for those poor subscribers unable to pay for the premium service but whose livelihoods depend on the blocked SIM Cards.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Ibrahim Alhassan
