The government has announced plans to roll out biometric verification for SIM card registration before the close of 2026, a move aimed at strengthening subscriber identification and closing gaps left by the previous exercise.
Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George disclosed the development on Monday, September 7, 2026, during the Government Accountability Series at Jubilee House in Accra.
According to the Minister, the new phase, which follows Parliament’s passage of the Legislative Instrument on SIM registration, will require subscribers to provide biometric data, including fingerprints, to verify their identities.
This, he said, would go beyond the previous system of merely linking SIM cards to identification documents.
“The work is far from finished, and I will not pretend otherwise. But the direction is unmistakable, the results are measurable, and the resolve of this Ministry is unshaken,” Mr George stated.
The biometric requirement comes in response to challenges that plagued the earlier SIM registration exercise, which commenced in October 2021.
That process required subscribers to first link their SIM cards to their Ghana Cards and subsequently undergo biometric capture at network provider offices or authorised agents.
Despite several deadline extensions, the exercise, which officially ended on May 31, 2023, recorded significant gaps. By October 2022, while 28.96 million SIM cards had been linked to Ghana Cards (representing 67.28% of issued SIMs), only 18.93 million (44.28%) had completed the full registration process.
The new biometric verification system is expected to enhance traceability, reduce the use of false or stolen identities, and improve the integrity of SIM registration data, particularly in cases involving fraud or other criminal activities.
Mr George reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that Ghana’s regulatory framework adapts to the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
