The National Identification Authority (NIA) never anticipated that eligible individuals would be registered in time for the SIM card re-registration deadline.
There are still roughly two million persons who need to be registered who are 15 or older, according to the NIA Executive Secretary, Prof. Kenneth Attafuah. Physically speaking, it is not conceivable.
"We had stated that it was not doable back in March. In a Friday press conference, he said, "I have said it is like expecting a virgin to give birth every three months.
"The physical and logistical infrastructure has not been intended to respond in that manner. We are unable to accomplish that.
Prof. Attafuah said that when the National Communications Authority set dates for the re-registration of SIM cards, it did so with full knowledge of these restrictions.
However, he claimed that he had no influence over such things.
The NIA is not authorized to provide guidance on that, according to Prof. Attafuah.
But I have it on good information that we have been actively communicating with the Minister of Communications and Digitalization as well as the National Communications Authority since last year.
After September 30, anyone whose SIM cards are not reregistered as instructed will have them banned.
On July 31, the window for SIM card re-registration was extended; nevertheless, a month following the extension, the number of people who visited the offices of the network service providers to register their SIMs fell by 98%.
A group sued the National Communications Authority (NCA), requesting that the Supreme Court declare the registration deadline and the related sanctions for failure to register null and invalid.
It made the claim that the sanctions are unlawful.