The Mobile Money Agents Association is worried that the fee to be paid by Ghanaians to register their SIM cards through the Self Service Registration App could be a disincentive.
After announcing the extension of the deadline for SIM re-registration on Sunday, July 31, 2022, the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful Sunday, said persons seeking to re-register their SIM cards can now resort to a self-service registration application, which will be made available on both Android and IOS platforms this week.
She said registration via the app will attract a GH¢ 5 charge.
According to the Association, the current state of the economy has imposed hardships on Ghanaians, and would thus be difficult for persons who own multiple SIM cards.
In a Citi News interview, the Secretary of the Mobile Money Agents Association, Evans Otumfuor said the government must provide additional information on the registration cost.
“We are all well aware of the hardship in the country, we are all struggling and we do not think Ghanaians will be willing to take up other financial strains. The GH¢ 5 we are being asked to pay, is too much, especially if it is per SIM.”
“Government needs to come clear on this. Whichever way it will be, I don’t think it is ideal that Ghanaians must pay a fee to register.”
At a press briefing on Sunday, the Minister announced an extension of the deadline for the SIM card re-registration to September 30, 2022.
According to her, statistics from the National Communication Authority (NCA) show that as of Thursday, July 21, 2022, 16,969,034 individuals had registered for the Ghana Card, with about 16,535,623 cards printed, while 15,395,607 had linked their Ghana Card to their SIM cards.
According to her, “non-resident Ghanaians who do not have the Ghana card can use their passports to complete the process, but will be required to update their details with the Ghana card once they acquire it.”
Ghanaians on official assignments and students outside the country who cannot acquire the Ghana card by December have been asked to contact the NCA for assistance.
