Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister of communications and digitalisation, has said the government is not making any profit from the sim cards registration app being rolled out this week.
The self-service registration application, which will be made available on both Android and IOS platforms, attracts a fee of GHC5.
“The sim registration app will be available for download on both android and IOS this week, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Each registration via the app will be subject to a GHC5 surcharge,” the minister said over the weekend.
A section of Ghanaians expressed mixed reactions following the announcement, describing it as an avenue for the government to monetise the exercise.
Talking to Kwaku Nhyira-Addo on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday ( 2 August), Owusu-Ekuful said: “Nobody is seeking to make any profit. I listen to these things and I cringe that, is that what we have been reduced to.”
“Does everything has to be about money in this our country?” the minister asked. “People can’t deliver a service because it is needed and not hope to profit from it, where is our sense of duty to our country and our sense of nationality,” she said.
Extension of exercise
The sim registration exercise has been extended to 30 September 2022.
“The statistics indicate that there was a 90% sim registration as soon as the first deadline was extended on 21st March 2022. Until a week ago, there were no queues at any registration centre.
“People started to register when they realised that the deadline was imminent after going to sleep when it was extended. After 50% of those who have completed the first phase of the process have not concluded the second stage. They have linked their sims to the Ghana Card and so that cannot be attributed to Ghana Card challenges,” the minister said over the weekend.
Punitive measures
Owusu-Ekuful said, “…The programme will be extended to 30 September to end on the anniversary of its commencement, that will give us one full year of sim registration.”
“It will be reviewed at the end of this month, and any sim that has not fully been registered by the end of August will be barred from receiving certain services including voice and data services.”
She added, “It will also be more expensive to use unregistered sim, the full range of punitive measures will be announced at another press briefing in September, kindly do not blame your service provider when you suffer that fate due to your own inaction.”
