The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Sam Nartey George, has announced that Ghana will, for the first time, implement a biometric SIM registration and verification system, marking a significant shift from previous exercises.

Speaking at the Ministry’s media engagement, the Minister stressed that although SIM registration has been conducted in the past, the upcoming process will be fundamentally different.

“People say we’ve done this a number of times, but we’ve never done what we’re about to do. This is the first time we are going to have biometric verification,” he stated.

According to him, the new system is the result of over a year of intensive policy, regulatory, and technical work, led by the National Communications Authority under its Director-General, in collaboration with the National Identification Authority.

He emphasized that transparency and public confidence will be central to the exercise, noting that lessons from previous registrations have informed the new approach.

The Minister also highlighted unprecedented institutional collaboration, pointing out that for the first time in Ghana’s history, the heads of both the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the National Identification Authority (NIA) are jointly leading discussions on the registration process.

“At no point in our national history… did you ever see the two heads of these critical institutions sitting in one room to discuss the registration,” he said.

He further described the ongoing engagement with stakeholders, including industry players and the media, as critical to ensuring the success of the exercise.

Dismissing comparisons with past registration efforts, the Minister maintained that the new system represents a complete reset.

“Clearly, this is a different system… behold, all things have become new,” he declared.