The Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says government through the Ministry of Communications is concerned about a number of deficiencies with the existing SIM card registration regime in Ghana.

Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday in Accra, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the use and/or sale of fraudulently registered SIM cards give rise to some criminal activities perpetuated through the use of mobile phones.

He said: "These deficiencies give way to fraudulent activities to be perpetuated through the use of mobile phones such as mobile money fraud, illegal SIM swap, termination of international traffic(SIM-Boxing) leading to loss of revenue to the state, impersonation and cyber-crime.

"With government’s commitment to migrate towards a formalised digital economy as part of the Digital Ghana Agenda (DGA), it is important for the communications industry to ensure the integrity of an integrated database and systems. This will also build security, trust and confidence for the use of digital services.

"While we partner the relevant institutions for the complete rollout of the National Identification cards for SIM registration, the National Communications Authority (NCA) will ensure strict compliance with the law and engage MNOs and all relevant stakeholders to address these deficiencies".

The Minister advised all actors involved in the registration of SIM cards to comply with the Subscriber Identity Module Registration Regulation, 2011 (L.I. 2006) and Section 73 of the Electronic Communications Amendment Act. 2016 (Act 910).

"Government assures the general public that it is committed to building a strong, secure and resilient communications industry for the benefit of the citizenry and the entire country," he said.

"We are therefore encouraging all subscribers to verify the authenticity of their SIM registration by dialling *400# on any network".