A digital strategist, Maximus Ametorgoh, has warned that Ghana’s planned SIM registration exercise could fail to address fraud while increasing costs and inconvenience for citizens.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (23 March), Ametorgoh said the current approach focuses too heavily on registration rather than the actual mechanics of fraud prevention.
“Fraud is not just a system issue… it’s also a social issue. Forcing people to register again does not necessarily stop fraud,” he said.
He explained that many scams—particularly mobile money and WhatsApp fraud—occur outside the SIM registration framework, using tactics that bypass identity verification systems.
“What is happening is that money is sent to a number, but it terminates on an app and gets distributed. The telcos cannot retrieve it,” he said.
According to him, policy efforts should instead target:
- Transaction-level security
- Payment authentication systems
- Real-time fraud detection
rather than repeating a nationwide registration exercise.
Ametorgoh also warned that the process could strain telecom infrastructure and operations, especially if not properly designed.
He noted that even if the system is moved online, it could still face:
- Network congestion
- System crashes
- Data quality issues
“You can move the queues online, but you will still get the same problem if the system cannot handle the traffic,” he said.
He further pointed out that telecom operators are likely to comply silently due to regulatory pressure, despite the financial burden.
“The government is the regulator… telcos will follow the law to protect their investments,” he said.
The lack of clarity around third-party involvement in the system’s design also raises concerns, with Ametorgoh noting that a contractor is expected to manage the technical architecture, although details remain unclear.
Beyond infrastructure concerns, he warned of potential market distortions, as users may prioritise registering primary SIM cards while abandoning secondary lines—potentially affecting competition within the telecom sector.
Ultimately, he argued that Ghana risks duplicating effort instead of improving systems, urging authorities to refine existing databases rather than rebuild them.
“We already have the data. All we need to do is clean the system and improve it,” he said.
He advised citizens to remain cautious in digital transactions, particularly mobile money transfers, as fraudsters continue to exploit system gaps.
The renewed SIM registration debate comes as Ghana seeks to strengthen its digital ecosystem, but experts caution that without proper design and execution, the process could undermine both efficiency and public trust.
Source: asaaseradio.com
