The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has mounted a strong defence of the government’s planned SIM re-registration exercise, warning that weaknesses in the current system are exposing innocent Ghanaians to wrongful arrests and identity theft.
Addressing stakeholders, the Minister revealed that inaccuracies within the existing SIM database have led to disturbing cases where individuals are wrongly linked to criminal activities due to cloned identities and unreliable data.
According to him, pressure from the Interior and National Security apparatus underscores the urgency of fixing the system to ensure law enforcement relies on credible information.
“The Minister for Interior… is breathing down my neck to provide a credible SIM register because there are times when law enforcement depends on our data and ends up picking the wrong person,” he disclosed.
He cited instances where stolen or cloned Ghana Card details were used to register SIM cards later implicated in crimes, leaving innocent citizens to face the consequences.
Sam George emphasized that, unlike previous exercises, the new registration drive is not about procurement but about safeguarding consumers and restoring trust in the system.
“At the base of this is not procurement. Our interest is consumer protection and building a system that works—one that is owned and trusted by the NCA and the NIA,” he stressed.
He expressed confidence that, if properly executed, the new exercise would produce a reliable and secure SIM database, capable of protecting users from identity misuse while strengthening national security operations.
The Minister added that the reforms are ultimately aimed at rebuilding public confidence and ensuring that no Ghanaian suffers unjustly due to data failures.
