A cybersecurity expert has called for strict oversight of any third-party involvement in Ghana’s planned SIM card registration overhaul, warning that data security and system integrity must be prioritised.
Abubakar Issaka, President of the Cyber Security Experts Association, Ghana, said questions remain over how the process will be implemented and who will manage critical infrastructure such as the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) platform.
Ghana is preparing a new SIM registration exercise to strengthen user identification and tackle rising mobile money fraud, with plans to integrate device-level tracking and improve verification systems.
Concerns
Speaking on The Forum on Asaase Radio on Saturday (21 March), Issaka raised concerns about whether such a third party could have access to sensitive national data.
“From the technical point of view, are we going to bring third parties now or is this going to be directly between the telcos and the NIA?” he said on Asaase Radio’s The Forum. “If this third party is coming to manage this CEIR platform, then we have to do much scrutiny.”
“Is he going to be the source of processing the Ghana Card data? And if that is going to be the case, my interest lies in whether the platform is secure, resilient, and holds the highest level of integrity, and that the data is readily available and secure,” he said.
Public Trust
He emphasised that the success of the registration exercise would depend on strong technical safeguards and public trust.
“This process needs the clearest form of communication,” Issaka said, noting that gaps in understanding could create bottlenecks during implementation. He added that literacy challenges could still lead to long queues if the system requires in-person verification.
“Our focus as technical people is to see the end results done. Results that ensure a very resilient database we can use to authenticate who a Ghanaian is and who is using a SIM card, and also investigate cyber fraud. That is the bottom line,” he said.
Assurance
The planned upgrade forms part of broader efforts to strengthen digital security and SIM registration in Ghana, amid rising concerns over mobile money fraud and identity verification.
The Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, has assured Ghanaians that privacy protections will be central to the upcoming SIM card registration exercise.
The exercise, prepared by the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation in collaboration with the NCA, aims to improve the identification of mobile phone users nationwide.
Speaking on TV3 Ghana on Sunday, March 22, 2026, Mr. Fianko emphasised that privacy concerns are being taken seriously in the design of the new system. Ghanaian news subscription
“I am a mobile user myself, so I wouldn’t want to create a solution that will later become a problem for myself. I will not be in this position forever,” he said.
He noted that the NCA is working closely with the Data Protection Commission to ensure that the process meets required data protection standards.
“Because of privacy concerns, we are working with the Data Protection Agency. The LI itself is also building in provisions for cybersecurity, protection, and others. So, it is going to be an ethical process,” he added.
Mr. Fianko stressed that the primary objective of the exercise is proper user identification, not surveillance.
“I am not aware of any attempt to use this for anything that will hurt the privacy of the people or do anything that we haven’t communicated. The primary objective of the exercise is proper identification of users,” he said.
Short Code
Abubakar Issaka, in his submissions, also raised concerns over proposals to use short codes for the upcoming SIM card registration exercise, warning that such methods may not support biometric verification requirements.
He said that while authorities are planning an upgraded registration system, the technical process must be clearly defined to avoid confusion.
“From the technical point of view, you cannot use a USSD code to follow the procedure to successfully satisfy a biometric process. You can satisfy a biodata process… but to verify biometrically using a USSD code, I am yet to see a technology that does that,” he said.
His comments follow President Mahama’s remarks that aspects of the new SIM registration could involve short-code verification, a claim he said may not align with biometric requirements such as fingerprint validation.
IMEI numbers
Issaka noted that the upgraded system is expected to incorporate device-level identification through IMEI numbers and introduce a consent-based approach for registering multiple SIM cards.
He indicated that the process is likely to involve physical biometric verification, which could require users to interact with devices in person.
“The objective is to ensure that every mobile device is duly registered using its unique identifier, which is the IMEI number,” he said, adding that additional SIM registrations would require user approval via a one-time password sent to a primary number.
“If this is going to be a contact verification process… then there will be some level of queues, because users will need to verify their identity physically,” he said.
Issaka called for clearer communication from authorities on how the process will be implemented, particularly on whether biometric verification will be contact-based.
The planned SIM registration overhaul is part of broader efforts to strengthen digital security in Ghana amid rising concerns over mobile money fraud and gaps in identity verification.
