Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), has stated that stringent privacy protections will be paramount in the forthcoming SIM card registration exercise.
He assured that privacy concerns are being thoroughly addressed in the design of the new system during an interview on TV3 Ghana on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
Following the government’s announcement to conduct another SIM registration exercise due to purported execution issues with the previous one, the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, in collaboration with the NCA, is working to enhance the identification of mobile phone users nationwide.
According to him, the NCA is working closely with the Data Protection Commission to ensure that the process meets required data protection standards.
“I am a mobile user myself, so I wouldn’t want to create a solution that will later become a problem for me. I will not be in this position forever,” he said.
“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.
HS indicated that the 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 further posited that strict legal safeguards have been built into the system.
“The LI is putting in processes, including that anybody—the national security, cyber security authority or even the police—will need a court order before accessing any data from the data centre,” he stated.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
