The Director of Corporate Affairs at the National Identification Authority (NIA), Williams Ampomah Darlas, has endorsed the government’s decision to undertake a fresh SIM card re-registration exercise, describing the previous process as fundamentally flawed due to the absence of verified national identification data.
Speaking in an interview with Hot FM Morning Drive on the renewed initiative championed by the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, Mr Darlas explained that the earlier SIM registration exercise failed to incorporate data from the NIA, undermining its credibility and effectiveness.
According to him, the previous registration was conducted primarily between telecom operators and the communications ministry, without integrating the NIA’s biometric database, a critical requirement for proper identity verification.
“You see, when it comes to identification and verification, this is not how it’s done,” he stated, noting that the process relied largely on capturing images rather than validating identities against a centralised national database.
Mr Darlas disclosed that the lack of collaboration at the time stemmed partly from institutional disagreements, which prevented the use of NIA data. As a result, he said, the information gathered during the exercise did not accurately match records held by the authority.
He, however, expressed confidence in the new approach, highlighting that the ongoing re-registration exercise is being conducted through a coordinated effort involving the NIA, the Ministry of Communication, and telecom operators.
Under the revised system, individuals will first undergo verification using their Ghana Card details before their biometric data, including photographs, are captured and matched against the NIA database for approval.
Mr Darlas emphasised that the integration of verified national identity data will significantly reduce SIM-related fraud and enhance traceability, enabling authorities to more easily track individuals involved in criminal activities.
He further revealed that preliminary checks conducted during the planning phase showed clear discrepancies between previously collected data and NIA records, reinforcing the need for a more robust and accurate system.
Importantly, he noted that the new process has been designed to be user-friendly, allowing individuals to complete registration without necessarily visiting telecom offices, thereby reducing congestion and improving convenience.
The NIA official concluded that the strengthened collaboration and data-driven approach mark a critical step toward building a more secure and reliable telecommunications ecosystem in Ghana.
