All SlIM cards that have not been completely registered, according to the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization, would be "progressively" banned at the end of October.
"All sim cards that have been linked to Ghana Cards, but have not completed their second stage registration will be blocked from the end of October. It is not an extension of the deadline but a temporary moratorium to encourage these individuals to complete the process. If they have any peculiar challenges, they should contact the NCA."
"These good people have the Ghana card, have started the process and will be encouraged to complete it with this gentle reminder. All other unregistered SIMs will also be blocked progressively," the Ministry stated in a press release signed by Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, its Minister.
All data-only SlIMs, including those given by Surfline, Busy Internet, Telesol, and any organization like the Electricity Company of Ghana, had until the end of November to finish registration, according to the statement.
However, the statement issued a warning to people who had registered more than 10 SIM Cards for personal use, advising them to immediately delink the unneeded sim cards since any number of SIM Cards over the personal limit of 10 will be disabled and removed from the database.
According to the report, the National Communications Authority (NCA) has been instructed to perform mystery shopping and enforce the law against offenders and their accomplices, adding that anyone found guilty might face up to five years in jail.
It said that the NCA and the National Identification Authority (NIA) were in negotiations over registered amputees and other categories of people.
It claimed that former arrangements for diplomats and sim cards used outside of Ghana were still in effect.
In accordance with the statement, of the 42,749,662 total sim cards issued nationally between October 01, 2021, and October 04, 2022, 28,959,006 sim cards had been linked to Ghana cards, accounting for 67.28 per cent of the total; conversely, 18,930,664 sim cards had been fully registered, accounting for 44.28 per cent of the total sim cards issued during the same period.
It stated that the registration process had thus far involved 13,720,687 unique Counts of Ghana Cards.
"...14 million Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians can sleep safely, comforted by the fact that their 18.8 million sim cards are safe and secure. We have made good progress, and this is a collective gain that we must celebrate," the statement said.
However, it is alarming that over 10 million individuals who have linked their sim cards to their Ghana Cards have not finished the second stage of registration.
"There is no excuse for this since these individuals have their Ghana Cards, have started the process and had ample opportunity to fully register their sim cards, including through the use of the self-registration app which is the first of its kind in the world," it said.