Sam Nartey George, the Minister for Communication, Innovations, and Digital Technologies, has announced that a Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) will be introduced to enable cross-network blocking of stolen or fraud-linked devices.
According to Sam George, a revised Legislative Instrument (L.I.) is being prepared to regulate the exercise.
The minister further announced that the Cabinet has approved a completely new SIM registration exercise.
According to Sam George, the move follows an extensive review of the previous process.
Sam George disclosed that the earlier SIM registration exercise had a weak biometric enforcement, data inconsistencies and cases of registration fraud.
Speaking during high-level talks with the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications and the National Communications Authority (NCA), Sam stressed that NCA will serve as the central repository of SIM registration data.
Sam George is quoted to have said, “A Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) will be introduced to enable cross-network blocking of stolen or fraud-linked devices”.
Earlier, Sam George had announced that the government had begun processes for a nationwide SIM card registration exercise.
According to Sam George, the upcoming SIM registration will be well structured, convenient, with no long queues and disruptions.
He highlighted that the SIM card registration exercise will strengthen data integrity and national security within the telecommunications sector.
Speaking during a keynote address at the 2026 Data Protection Commission Conference, Sam George stated, “The failure in the last SIM card registration has left us with a difficult but necessary decision. After extensive cabinet deliberation, we are announcing the beginning of the process for a new SIM card registration exercise across the whole country”.
“This exercise will be the first in our history to have live verification against the NIA’s database and provide biometric verification for every registration. Let me state this up front”.
The upcoming SIM card registration exercise will prioritize customer’s comfort. We are putting in place measures, working with the Chamber of Telecoms, to avoid long queues, including self-service portals and a seamless process for completing the registration,” he said.
He further disclosed that the exercise will not be constrained by any deadlines adding that all data collected will be fully protected.
Sam George added, “You won’t have the queues. You won’t have the deadlines that were unreachable in the past experience. We are going to make sure that the citizen is placed at the front of this registration.
“The regulator, the National Communications Authority, is engaging stakeholders on the rollout. The Data Protection Commission must be central to ensuring that even as biometric data is collected and processed, it is done with the principal consideration of protecting the customer. Trust must be elevated above all other considerations,” the minister remarked.