Sam George Announces Ghana Card Blocking System | Discuss Ghana

On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, announced a major policy shift in Ghana's fight against digital crime.

Under the government's new "Final SIM Registration" framework, individuals whose Ghana Cards are repeatedly linked to fraudulent SIM registrations or mobile money scams will face a "prohibitive" automatic penalty.

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How the Automatic Blocking Works

The new system is designed to move beyond merely blocking individual phone numbers and instead targets the identity behind the fraud:

The "Two-Strike" Rule: If a single Ghana Card is found to be involved in more than one fraudulent registration linked to mobile money fraud, that card will be blocked and barred from ever registering another SIM in the country.

Cutting Off Access: Since the Ghana Card is now the sole requirement for telecommunications, a blocked card effectively cuts the offender off from all mobile services, including data and mobile money.

Integrated Sanctions: Minister Sam George warned that because the Ghana Card is now required for almost all public services, a flagged ID could eventually lead to the loss of access to other government-linked benefits.

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Technical Upgrades to Prevent Fraud

To ensure the system isn't gamed using stolen IDs or photocopies, the 2026 registration exercise introduces several biometric layers:

Liveliness Test: The process includes a real-time facial recognition and "liveliness check" matched directly against the National Identification Authority (NIA) database.

Primary Number Approval: Any additional SIM registration linked to a Ghana Card must now be authorized via a One-Time Password (OTP) sent to the user’s primary registered number.

Stolen Phone Registry: A new Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) will also be launched to block stolen or illegal mobile devices across all networks, regardless of which SIM is inserted.

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A "Clean Slate" Registration

Minister Sam George emphasized that this is a "complete reset" and not a continuation of the 2021–2023 exercise, which he described as "flawed" due to a lack of live biometric verification.

No Automatic Migration: Despite an audit showing that 80% of previous biometric records are accurate, the government has ruled out a wholesale transfer of data to avoid "migrating the viruses" (errors) from the old system.

Convenience First: To avoid the infamous long queues of the past, the new rollout will prioritize self-registration via smartphones, Ghana Post offices, and Community Information Centres.

"Do not register for anybody; everyone has a Ghana Card, let them go and register themselves. If you do it for them and they commit fraud, your card is the one that will be blocked." — Hon. Samuel Nartey George.