Ghana is rolling out a nationwide SIM card re-registration exercise that puts smartphones at the center of the verification process — with approximately 80 percent of subscribers expected to complete biometric identity checks through a self-service mobile app rather than visiting a registration center.
The exercise, announced by Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George, requires all mobile subscribers to re-verify their SIM cards using real-time biometric authentication, including facial recognition liveness detection tied directly to the National Identification Authority (NIA) database. The liveness requirement is specifically designed to prevent the spoofed facial images and photocopied Ghana Cards that undermined the previous SIM registration drive conducted between 2021 and 2023.
For the majority of subscribers, the process will be handled entirely on their own device: present a Ghana Card, complete a liveness test, and register from home. Assisted registration at designated centers and through mobile teams will be available for users without smartphones or who run into technical difficulties. The government has indicated a fee will apply for some registration types.
The scale of the mobile-first rollout is notable. Routing 80 percent of a national biometric re-registration through a consumer smartphone app — rather than dedicated enrollment hardware — reflects how far mobile identity infrastructure has matured in sub-Saharan Africa. The exercise extends Ghana’s existing pattern of NIA integration across sectors, following biometric mandates applied to gambling and healthcare. Its stated goal is to link every active mobile number to a confirmed, biometrically verified identity, with a particular focus on reducing fraud in the mobile money ecosystem.
Sources: GBC Ghana Online, The Herald Ghana
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By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
