Ghanaians who register SIM cards for other people risk being blacklisted from essential public and financial services under a new digital security regime, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has warned.
Speaking in an interview on ChannelOne TV last March, the Minister disclosed that the government is introducing a stricter SIM registration framework that will link individuals’ biometric data from the Ghana Card directly to their mobile devices, making it harder to evade detection in cases of fraud.
@channel1tvgh Register a SIM for someone else, and you could lose access to your own services. The new system flags Ghana Cards involved in fraud—green is safe, yellow is warning, red is blocked. Watch the video to see how it works. Watch the full conversation: #FaceToFace #ChannelOneTV #GhanaNews #SimRegistration #SamGeorge
He said the new system is designed to eliminate the thriving black market for pre-registered SIM cards, where buyers pay a premium for already activated numbers registered in unknown names. According to him, such practices will no longer be possible once the upgraded regime is fully rolled out.
Mr George explained that under the new arrangement, every SIM card, mobile device and Ghana Card will be integrated into a central monitoring system, enabling authorities to track fraudulent activity more effectively.
Unlike the current system, where offenders simply discard blocked SIM cards and acquire new ones, the revised framework will extend sanctions to the devices used.
He revealed that when a SIM card is implicated in fraud, both the SIM and the associated mobile device will be blocked using the device’s unique identification number. This, he said, would render the handset unusable and significantly raise the cost of engaging in mobile-related crimes.
In addition, the system will introduce a colour-coded monitoring mechanism to track user compliance. Individuals whose records are clean will be marked “green”, while those linked to suspicious activity will be flagged “yellow”. A second confirmed offence associated with a user’s Ghana Card will result in a “red” status, effectively blacklisting the individual.
Mr George stressed that even individuals who do not directly commit fraud could face sanctions if they register SIM cards on behalf of others who later engage in criminal activity.
He warned that such actions could have severe consequences, including the loss of access to essential services.
He explained that once a Ghana Card is blacklisted, the holder could be denied access to banking services, driver’s licence renewal, and healthcare services that require identity verification. “We are raising the cost for fraud,” he said, urging the public to refrain from registering SIM cards for third parties.
The Minister also noted that the new framework would enhance accountability within Ghana’s digital ecosystem by ensuring that every SIM card can be traced to a verified individual and device, thereby strengthening efforts to combat mobile money fraud and related crimes.
He reiterated his call for vigilance, cautioning that individuals who allow their personal identification to be used for SIM registration risk becoming entangled in criminal investigations, even if they are not the direct perpetrators.
