The Center for Posterity Interest Organization (COPIO), a Techiman based non-governmental organization in the Bono East region has re-echoed the need for the National Communication Authority (NCA) and the telecommunication companies in the country to re-strategize the ongoing SIM Card re-registration exercise.

In an interview Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COPIO, Mustapha Maison Yeboah, expressed displeasure with the long queues associated with the ongoing nationwide exercise amidst COVID-19, describing the situation as unacceptable.

“Although the government deserves commendation for its digitalisation drive, more needed to be done to get personal data of citizens’ synchronised by the necessary state institutions,” he added.    

He said the challenges associated with the exercise due to its cumbersome nature have already killed the interest of most Ghanaians, particularly those living in remote and deprived communities.

“We have realised through our visits that the SIM card re-registration exercise is well-intended and laudable since many unscrupulous persons have been using other people’s mobile phone numbers for criminal activities.

Unfortunately, the process has so far been embarrassing and a waste of productive time especially for the elderly people,” he explained.   

Mr Yeboah further called on the government to liaise with the National Identification Authority and Telecommunication Companies to devise realistic strategies to reduce the cumbersome nature of the procedures and burden on SIM card users in order not to deprive the majority of Ghanaians their contact numbers or accessibility to telephony. 

He, therefore, urged the Ministry of Communication to concentrate on using the biometric features on the Ghana card without necessarily going to the various telecom companies to spend hours before registering any SIM card.