Ghana is preparing to introduce biometric verification for SIM card registration before the end of 2026, in a renewed effort to strengthen subscriber identification and tackle weaknesses that persisted after the country’s previous registration exercise.
Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George said the new system would provide an additional layer of identity verification by requiring subscribers to link their SIM cards to biometric information.
According to the Minister, Parliament has passed the Legislative Instrument (LI) governing SIM registration, clearing the way for the government and the National Communications Authority (NCA) to begin implementing the next phase.
He said the move was part of a broader strategy to strengthen Ghana’s digital identity infrastructure and make telecommunications services more secure.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series at Jubilee House in Accra on Monday, September 7, 2026, Mr George acknowledged that the work of improving Ghana’s digital systems was ongoing.
“The work is far from finished, and I will not pretend otherwise. But the direction is unmistakable, the results are measurable, and the resolve of this Ministry is unshaken,” he said.
The new approach is expected to address gaps exposed by the previous SIM registration exercise, which began in October 2021 and required subscribers to first link their SIM cards to their Ghana Cards before completing biometric capture at service provider centres or authorised agents.
By October 2022, about 28.96 million SIM cards, representing 67.28 percent of those issued, had been linked to Ghana Cards. However, only 18.93 million, or 44.28 percent, had completed the full two-stage registration process.
This left nearly 10 million subscribers who had completed only the first stage without completing their biometric capture.
Although the exercise was eventually closed on May 31, 2023, after several extensions, the large number of partially registered SIM cards remained a concern. MTN Ghana subsequently blocked about 5.4 million unregistered SIM cards.
The Ministry and the NCA have since recognised the need to strengthen the registration framework to ensure that SIM cards are tied to identities that can be more reliably verified.
Under the new system, biometric information such as fingerprints is expected to become a key component of the verification process. The measure could make it harder for individuals to use false or fraudulent identities to obtain SIM cards and could improve the ability of authorities and service providers to trace subscribers.
The initiative is also expected to have implications for the fight against SIM-related fraud, as stronger identity verification could reduce the use of improperly registered numbers for fraudulent activities.
The NCA began preparations for the new framework earlier this year when it organised stakeholder consultations on March 13, 2026, to consider draft SIM registration regulations.
The consultations examined issues including registration requirements for Ghanaians, residents and foreigners, the number of SIM cards that may be registered to a single identification document, the registration of minors and diplomats, as well as financial and operational considerations.
With Parliament having approved the LI, the next stage will involve the Ministry, the NCA and telecommunications operators putting the new requirements into operation.
The regulations are expected to provide further details on how biometric information will be collected, stored and used, while defining the responsibilities of subscribers and telecommunications companies.
Subscribers could subsequently be given a specified period to complete the new verification requirements, with non-compliance potentially attracting sanctions.
The government’s latest move therefore signals a shift from simply registering SIM cards towards establishing a more robust identity-verification system capable of improving the security and integrity of Ghana’s telecommunications ecosystem.
