A nationwide audit of SIM card registrations in Ghana has uncovered major flaws in the system, with authorities revealing that none of the sampled biometric data matched records in the national identity database.
The findings were announced by National Communications Authority as part of efforts to clean up and strengthen the country’s SIM registration process. The audit reviewed data collected between 2021 and 2023, a period when millions of SIM cards were linked to personal identification details.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement on March 17, 2026, Director-General Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko disclosed that a sample of about two million SIM registrations was tested against records from the National Identification Authority. The result was troubling—there were no matching fingerprints between the two databases.
According to him, the mismatch is largely due to differences in how biometric data was captured. While the national ID system uses contact-based fingerprint scanners, SIM registration exercises relied on contactless technology, making accurate comparisons difficult.
Beyond fingerprint issues, the audit also exposed broader data quality concerns. Some SIM records were linked to incorrect personal information, while others contained biometric data that could not be verified at all. These inconsistencies raise questions about the reliability of the country’s telecom subscriber database.
Facial recognition checks performed slightly better but still revealed gaps. Out of approximately 2.3 million records reviewed, about 81% matched with the national database, leaving nearly one in five unverified. Officials also noted that the system lacked “liveness checks,” meaning it could not confirm whether the person presenting an ID during registration was physically present.
The revelations are significant given that nearly 40 million SIM cards have been registered across the country, making the integrity of this data critical for security, fraud prevention, and digital services.
In response, the NCA says it is preparing for a fresh SIM re-registration exercise. The upcoming process is expected to introduce stricter verification methods, better biometric alignment with the national ID system, and improved safeguards to ensure that each SIM card is accurately linked to a real, identifiable individual.
Authorities say the goal is not just to fix past errors, but to build a more secure and trustworthy telecommunications system going forward.
Source: Africa Publicity
