Former NPP Member of Parliament(MP) for Manhyia North, Collins Owusu Amankwah, has appealed to the Minister of Communcations, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful to extend the deadline for the SIM registration.
The Minister issued a deadline for all Ghanaians with SIM cards to re-register with their Ghana cards by July, 31, 2022 or risk their card being deactivated.
The deadline falls on Sunday, yet a mammoth number of Ghanaians are still struggling either to register for or receive a Ghana card.
Many of those who have received their cards too, due to some challenges, are yet to register their SIM cards.
Discussing the matter during Friday's "Kokrokoo" morning show on Peace FM, Collins Owusu Amankwah pleaded with the Minister to pardon those who haven't registered their SIM cards.
"Right now, should we deactivate the SIM card of every person who hasn't registered, do you know that person can't transact business again? Do you know that person cannot pay the E-Levy? The Telcos also will not benefit. If it is even 1 million subscribers, it's a very huge cost . . . I feel those who haven't got their card yet should be pardoned," he said.
He also took a swipe at the National Identification Authority, responsible for registering and issuing the Ghana card, for failing to make the cards easily accessible to the masses ensuring every person has registered and grabbed it.
"Whether the cards were printed during President Kufour's time, they owe us an apology. They should have released those cards to the people before sanctioning these new ones, but they didn't distribute them. Sometimes, you make things difficult for us," he added.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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@Dan, Your prediction that they will extend the deadline has come true. You know Akuffo Addo and his people paaaaaa, they go 3 steps forward and take 5 steps backwards. You know very well the challenges people are going through to get a simple card yet still you gives deadlines to people to register their SIM cards using a card which is not easily accessible to the people. In 21st century Ghana people still have to travel all the way from the upper east region, a distance of over 400 kilometers to Accra just to replace a little a lost or damaged Ghana card. The amazing thing is that we have a whole ministry responsible for local government, decentralization and rural development, so what is government decentralizing? If it were a voter ID card they would have found ways to ensure that every voter easily gets one because they have an interest. They would have bused their supporters for free to registration centers to get the card.
I don't think people have a problem with registering for the card or using one card. The problem is, that our governance system is so poor because our leaders always seek self-gratification. This is a good policy but poorly implemented. Why can't the government decentralise the system to every district or constituency and operate 9 to5, 5 days a week? We complain about the unemployment rate and this is an avenue to create jobs as well as an opportunity to revive Ghana Post as they can also play a major role in the distribution to prevent queues and stressing people out. Leadership is the problem bro. Don't stress the people out for your own unpreparedness. I can bet the budget allocated covered all this but because of Chop chop hence this implementation. Also, the telecoms can always port the data from NIA, they just don't want to pay for that service like the EC and others do hence stressing the ordinary Ghanaian. All comes back to leadership.
I don't blame Ursula is Nana Addo I blame his appointee can talk to Ghanaians any how as if the Ghana Card will give us free access to jollof rice as and when it's required. I bet these ministers and their family didn't queue for the Ghana Card. Ordinary Ghanaians are queuing for the Ghana Card to no avail yet you (Ursula) are giving ultimatum such ***barred word***. Why don't you put Ghanaians through such stress when it's the acquisition of Voters ID card? Because voters ID invariably ensures to your(politicians) benefit. Deactivate my SIM tomorrow and I will vote for you again. Sia fo
NPP has lost its sanity. Even if every Ghanaian has been issued a Ghana Card it doesn't make sense to simply deactivate SIM Cards just like this. Now let's look at this issue from a common sense perspective. NIA admits not all adult Ghanaians have been issued Ghana Cards. Infact in some homes, kids in Class 6 upwards have phones just to reach their parents when vert necessary. So forget about collecting e-Levy, has GoG analysed the negative safety implications to affect homes when kids who do not have Ghana Cards but need mobile access to parents for a myriad of reasons suffer if this archaic st..u.p.I.d policy is implemented Provide jobs you won't do, reduce inflation you won't do, check forex rates you won't do ONLY things that won't bring progress you want to do. This life truly no get balance. SMH
The minister of communication and digitalisation must with immediate effect resign from her post. She is actually one of the minister who has underperformed and her ministerial work is not satisfactory to the public. Adwo Safo has been sacked. Nana Akofo-Addo must sacked this communication minister and revoke her appointment. Her decision to publicly declare 31 july as a deadline for "Ghana Card and SIM registration" is very imprudent and unpragmatic which has placed ghanaians in a dictatorship and military rule. She is a minister to serve the nation and noting else. her military declaration of deadline 31 July has caused anarchy and confusion in Ghanain coupled. Ghanaians are going through hard times. The economic crises has affected every ghanaian. The minister never rflected about the consequences of her 31 July dadline declaration. She must bow in shame and humbly resign.
My brother, thanks for reminding them. It never occurred to them, bet me, by close of day on Monday they would have extended the deadline to October 31, 2022. The major challenge facing this government is that every appointee is a president on his own in his or her office, nobody seems to be in control. So those of you who still have hope in this government should keep reminding them. It simply tells you there is no coordination between the ministries of finance and communications on this matter. The jubilee house may not even be aware of what's happening out there, eye asem oooo .
Why has policy implementation been a major challenge for all governments in Ghana. You we are in technological age and yet one can't get his or her card instantly. I know of government owned banks in Ghana were it takes about a month to get your ATM card if the one in your possession expires. Now private owned banks like absa, stanbic etc can issue you ATM card instantly and it immediately becomes operational. How come the electoral commission is able to issue a voter ID card there and then but NIA can't do same. Why will someone travel all the way from Bolgatanga to Accra to have his or her lost or damaged NIA card replaced, why. We are not serious, government don't think through before coming out with some of it's policies. National ID card too, people have to wake up at 4:00am to go and queue, why.
NO MORE EXTENSIONS PLEASE GHANAIANS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THIS THS THEIR OWN SAFETY AND THEIR FAMILIES IS THE SAME IN NORTH AMERICA. ONE CARD IDENTIFIES EVERYONE. BECAUSE NO IDENTITIES COME CLOSE TO NIA GHANA CARD. GHANA GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE CAREFUL IT DOESN'T LAND IN WRONG HANDS ELSE GHANAIANS ARE DEAD. WE SHOULDN'T JOKE WITH IT IN NORTH AMERICA THERE IS ONE CARD FOR EVERYTHING TO GET A JOB, FILL ANY FORMS SAME CARD.
Well said honourable man. I live in UK but I have MTN MoMo which I transfer money to and send across for series of payments such as project and family support. We were told we will be able to register for the Ghana card and our SIM cards by mid April. Since then, we have not heard anything from the sector minster or relivant authorities. They are now going to deactivate our SIM cards without giving us the opportunity to register them. We shall see what happens after 31st July if our SIM cards are deactivated. There is a reason why courts rooms are there and anyone can utilise to put their case across.