SIM deactivation: What Ursula did & didn’t do for those with no Ghana Card when she returned from Qatar

In the wake of her return from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Minister for Communications and Digitalization Ursula Owusu-Ekuful was accused of blocking SIM cards. Reacting to the allegation, she revealed that the Ministry is looking at other means by which persons with no Ghana Card can register their SIM cards.

However, she has added that mobile network operators were instructed by the NCA to deactivate the SIM cards of subscribers who have gone through the first phase of the registration exercise but are yet to complete the re-registration process.

This directive has had negative implications on individuals and businesses that had gone through only phase one of the registration of their SIM cards.

While many were unable to access their money in their mobile money wallets, others could not make or receive calls.

Contributing to the budget debate in parliament Ursula Owusu-Ekkuful refuted the assertion by ranking member for the communications Committee A.B.A Fuseini that subscribers without Ghana Card have had their SIM cards blocked.

According to her, such subscribers will be made to use different IDs for registration soon accusing the minority of misleading Ghanaians into boycotting the Ghana card registration exercise when it began.

“People did not have their Ghana Card because members of the NDC and the minority urged Ghanaians to register for the Ghana Card when the exercise commenced in 2018. Infact the minority caucus issued a statement on 10th June 2018 and had a Press conference indicating their opposition to the Ghana Card registration exercise and indicating that they will not participate in the exercise. That is a fact and a matter of records. So for them to now say they never opposed the Ghana Card registration exercise is factually incorrect and this is a house of records.

“Mr. Speaker, I indicated in my statement of 11th November as well that we’re looking at making other arrangements for those who genuinely do not have Ghana Cards to enable them to complete the SIM Card registration exercise and that will be announced in due course.”

“Minority Chief whip Muntaka Mubarak who was singled out for a mention by the minister as one those who championed a crusade against the Ghana cards charged Ursula to rather concern herself with the numerous challenges the public is going through as a result of the re-registration exercise and stop accusing the NDC wrongly.

“Mr Speaker the minister is a senior member of this House, and she knows that in this House If you want to make such reference you either quote the official records or you have your evidence. Mr. Speaker, I challenge the Minister to provide any evidence that I in this Chamber stood to say what she’s claiming I said.

“Mr. Speaker if she cares to know her statement is rather irritating the ordinary Ghanaians…my SIM is blocked, Minister you have to be responsible in your statement, don’t just irritate people, if there are real challenges try to deal with it, don’t just trivialize the challenges we’re having.”