TIG Post

Tag: registration

  • Digital SIM Card re-registration to be held in June – Communications Minister

    Digital SIM Card re-registration to be held in June – Communications Minister

    Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation, Sam Nartey George has stated that the upcoming SIM card re-registration exercise, set to take place in June, will feature a simplified process aimed at eliminating long queues and enhancing convenience for citizens.

    He revealed the details during a visit to Margins ID Group (Intelligent Card Production Systems) in Accra on Tuesday, April 8.

    The initiative is designed to ensure a more efficient and seamless experience for users.

    He explained that the re-registration process will be largely digital, allowing citizens to register their SIM cards online. This move is intended to reduce the need for individuals to visit registration centers in person.

    By automating the verification of citizen information, the system will significantly cut down manual processing times. This change is expected to not only save time for the public but also improve the accuracy of the registration process, making the entire procedure more user-friendly.

    The SIM card re-registration exercise, which initially began in 2021, has seen several deadline extensions due to lower-than-expected registration rates. The exercise requires all SIM card holders to re-register their cards using their Ghana Card, the official national identity document.

    The low registration rates have led to millions of unregistered active SIM cards, prompting the government to extend the deadlines on multiple occasions. This situation has sparked concerns regarding data security and the potential for fraudulent registrations via the mobile app.

    The government’s main goal behind the SIM card re-registration exercise is to strengthen national security by limiting criminal activities that are often enabled by unregistered SIM cards. Additionally, the move aims to enhance industry regulation by ensuring that all registered SIM cards are linked to accurate and valid data.

  • EC to hold mop-up registration exercise from Aug 1-3

    EC to hold mop-up registration exercise from Aug 1-3

    The Electoral Commission (EC) will hold a mop-up registration exercise from August 1 to August 3, 2024, at all 268 district offices, 41 prison centers, and 26 public universities.

    The EC has promised to resolve network issues and other logistical challenges before the registration exercise.

    This announcement was made during the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Thursday, July 25.

    The EC also stated that the missing names from the voter register have been restored and urged political parties to encourage their members to verify their names during the exhibition period.

    Additionally, the Electoral Commission committed to updating its calendar and sharing it with political parties. They also pledged to publish the Provisional Voters Register on their website, as required by CI 91.

    The EC’s IT department will address concerns about the registration figures announced in parliament at the next IPAC meeting.

  • Children aged 6 to 14 years to be included in National Identity Database – NIA

    Children aged 6 to 14 years to be included in National Identity Database – NIA

    The National Identification Authority (NIA) office in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region has announced plans to conduct a registration exercise for Ghanaian children aged six to 14 years.

    According to the office, this exercise is mandated by law and is essential to ensure that all children within this age group are registered in the national identity database.

    In a statement issued by Amen Agbenorhevi, the Head of the Akatsi South Municipal NIA, and distributed to the Ghana News Agency, it was emphasized that this initiative would facilitate children’s access to various national programs and services.

    The statement further outlined that a registration team would visit different schools to carry out the registration, with the specific date yet to be determined.

    “This registration exercise is parent/ guardian-child centered. Every parent/ guardian needs to be present with their child during the registration process,” it said.

    According to the statement, guardians are pivotal in supplying the requisite information and documentation needed for a successful registration; therefore, their presence is imperative when the process commences.

    It emphasized that parents/guardians ought to present the original birth certificates of their children, valid Ghanaian passports, and a child’s Certificate of Acquired Citizenship, along with other necessary documents for registration.

    However, in cases where the child lacks any of the required documents, the Oath of Identity Form of the guardian will be utilized.

    “We plead for the support and cooperation of all stakeholders, including parents, guardians, school authorities, and community leaders, to assist in this important exercise,” it said.

    The statement underscored the importance of public cooperation in ensuring the registration of all eligible children.

    “We count on your usual cooperation to make this registration exercise a success,” it said.

  • Voter registration exercise won’t be extended – EC

    Voter registration exercise won’t be extended – EC

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has asserted that extending the deadline for the ongoing limited voter registration exercise is “not feasible.”

    Despite initial technical challenges during the first two days, the EC reports that the registration process has since proceeded smoothly across the country.

    The voter registration exercise, which began on May 7, 2024, is scheduled to conclude on May 27, 2024.

    During a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, Samuel Tettey, Deputy EC Chair in Charge of Operations, affirmed that the 21-day period allocated for the exercise is sufficient.

    He noted that while there were large queues at some registration centers during the first week, the number of applicants has decreased significantly as the deadline approaches.

    Mr. Tettey also mentioned that mobile teams have been dispatched to hard-to-reach areas to facilitate registration for those unable to access district centers.

    “This is good enough to cover all difficult areas that the Commission earmarked,” he said.

    “We don’t actually think that at this time it is even feasible for anyone to call for an extension,” Mr Tettey added.

    “The total number of challenged cases across the country stands at 7,821,” he added.

    As of the 13th day of the exercise, on Sunday, May 19, 2024, data from the EC showed that 522,025 new voters had been registered. Of these, 446,416 (85.52%) are first-time voters aged 18-21.

    Among the registered voters, 246,455 (47.21%) are males, and 275,570 (52.79%) are females.

    The EC aims to register a total of 623,000 voters by the end of the exercise.

    Mr. Tettey also reported that 813 individuals with disabilities had been registered nationwide.

    Regional breakdown of registrations includes:

    • Greater Accra: 74,420 voters (14.3%)
    • North East: 14,147 (2.7%)
    • Upper East: 20,125 (3.9%)
    • Northern: 47,948 (9.2%)
    • Bono: 20,886 (4.0%)
    • Bono East: 18,861 (3.6%)
    • Volta: 26,486 (5.1%)
    • Upper West: 15,652 (3.0%)
    • Eastern: 48,563 (9.3%)
    • Central: 56,141 (10.8%)
    • Ahafo: 10,861 (2.1%)
    • Ashanti: 90,480 (17.3%)
    • Western North: 16,225 (3.1%)
    • Oti: 14,844 (2.8%)
    • Savannah: 12,767 (2.4%)
    • Western: 33,609 (6.4%)

    The EC has dismissed allegations from Election Watch Ghana claiming the use of “stolen” Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits for secret voter registrations. Mr. Tettey clarified that only five laptops were stolen from the Commission, not BVR kits.

  • EC makes clear that a mistake on registration form does not impact voter’s eligibility

    EC makes clear that a mistake on registration form does not impact voter’s eligibility

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has responded to concerns regarding an error on a registration slip circulating on social media.

    The slip showed conflicting information, stating that the individual registered in Kasoa, Central Region, while their district was listed as Ayawaso North, located in the Greater Accra Region.

    In a statement issued on Wednesday, May 8, in response to the viral photo, the EC clarified that the discrepancy on the registration slip does not reflect on the actual Voter Identification card of the applicant in question.

    The commission emphasized, “The error is confined to the Registration Slip, which is used merely as a reference for instances where an Applicant might need to replace his/her Voter ID Card. Importantly, this error has no bearing on the voter’s eligibility to vote.”

    Meanwhile, the EC has directed its officers to switch to offline mode in response to extensive network issues that occurred on the second day of the ongoing voter registration drive.

    “The Commission wishes to inform all its stakeholders and the General Public that some challenges were experienced with the network this afternoon, affecting the Online mode of registration. The Commission has directed its District Officers to switch to the Offline mode of registration beginning tomorrow, the 9th of May, 2024.

    “The Commission apologizes for the delays experienced this afternoon,” the statement added.

    The commission also promised to guarantee an extension to the May 27 deadline in the event that the challenge interferes with the 21-day exercise.

  • Registration slip error will not affect voter eligibility – EC

    Registration slip error will not affect voter eligibility – EC

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has responded to concerns circulating on social media regarding an error on a registration slip.

    The slip in question showed conflicting information, indicating that the individual registered in Kasoa, Central Region, but their district was listed as Ayawaso North, which is in the Greater Accra Region.

    In light of the viral photo, the EC released a statement on Wednesday, May 8, clarifying that the discrepancy on the registration slip does not reflect on the actual Voter Identification card of the concerned applicant.

    The commission emphasized, “The error is confined to the Registration Slip, which is used merely as a reference for instances where an Applicant might need to replace his/her Voter ID Card. Importantly, this error has no bearing on the voter’s eligibility to vote.”

    Meanwhile, due to widespread network challenges on the second day of the ongoing voter registration exercise, the EC has instructed its officers to switch to offline mode.

    “The Commission wishes to inform all its stakeholders and the General Public that some challenges were experienced with the network this afternoon, affecting the Online mode of registration. The Commission has directed its District Officers to switch to the Offline mode of registration beginning tomorrow, the 9th of May, 2024.

    “The Commission apologizes for the delays experienced this afternoon,” the statement concluded.

    Furthermore, the commission assured that if the challenge affects the 21-day exercise, it will ensure an extension to the May 27 deadline.

  • Ensure fairness in 2024 general elections – NDC to EC

    Ensure fairness in 2024 general elections – NDC to EC

    The Electoral Commission (EC) chair, Jean Mensa, has received a severe warning from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the North to ensure fairness in the 2024 general elections.

    The EC has stated that it’s taking steps to make the Ghana card the only document for registration.

    But the party says the steps taken by the EC chair are a recipe for chaos and has thus served notice that the party will not tolerate it.

    These comments were made at Yendi in the Northern region by the Regional Organiser of the party, Abdallah Baba Zee, when the party embarked on a health walk in the Yendi constituency.

    “We the NDC are sending a word of caution to the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission to be very careful about the steps she is taking. The EC is seeking to use the Ghana Card as the only document for the limited registration. The constituency center is the only place for registration. We are sending a strong warning to the EC chair that we will not sit down for such to happen. It has the potential of disenfranchising many Ghanaians, and we will not accept it,” Abdallah Baba Zee said.

    Three people have picked nomination forms to contest for the primaries of the NDC in the Yendi constituency.

    The Regional Organiser commended the Regional Chairmen and the 137 MPs who supported former President John Dramani Mahama in the picking of nominations.

    He however admonished the constituency executives for purpose of unity in the party not to openly support any of the aspirants and also urge the aspirants to be decorous in their campaign messages.

    “I want to admonish the constituency executives here in Yendi not to openly throw their support for any of the aspirants as this could affect the unity in the party. Again to the aspirants, I want to caution that as you go about your campaign, please be mindful of your language. This is an internal election, and we will surely need one another in the general elections. Let’s use language that is not divisive but preach peace and unity,” he said.

    The Constituency Communications Officer for NDC in the Yendi constituency, Adam Halid, said the health walk is to re-energize the base of the party for 2024.

    He said the party is poised to win the Yendi seat for the NDC and slammed the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for its woeful performance.

    “We are re-energizing the party to get ready for 2024. We are very poised to win the seat. The NPP has woefully failed the good people of Yendi. The president himself came and took the Overlord of Dagbon Yaa Naa to the Dagbon state senior high school to cut the sod for the Yendi water project, for three years now, nothing is happening,” he said.

    On his part, Fataw Osman Jofa who is in the race again preached peace and unity among the aspirants.

    He promised to fix the Yendi water project within six months if he wins.

    “I want to call on my brothers who have also picked nomination forms to please let there be peace and unity among us. Our biggest concern is to win the seat from the incompetent government of the NPP.

    “I want to say that the president has failed the good people of Yendi because the former President John Dramani Mahama was almost done with the documents of the Yendi water project and this president has failed to deliver. He cut the sod on three different occasions but nothing is being done. When I get the chance, I want to assure the good people of Yendi that within six months we will fix the water challenges,” he said.

  • 4 times Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has threatened to block SIM Cards

    The announcement by the Minister of Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, that persons who have linked their Ghana Cards to their SIM Cards but have not proceeded to fully reregister their SIM will lose data and voice services at the end of October 2022 has given rise to many questions.

    The questions have raised concerns about whether or not the government of the day is actually serious about its attempts to streamline the SIM registration system in the country.

    Critics have questioned whether or not the sector minister will ever go by her word with regards to the blocking of unregistered SIM cards in the country.

    The latest announcement by the minister, which she describes as a grace period, brings the number of times she has given a deadline for the registration to four.

    Here are all the times Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has given deadlines for the SIM re-registration but has not lived up to them:

    March 2022

    The government of Ghana stated in 2021 that effective October, all SIM cards in the country should be re-registered.

    This was because the government has identified that there was a challenge with the 2010/2011 SIM registration where there were records of fake ID numbers as well as fictitious names for existing SIM registration databases.

    The government explained that the integrity of existing SIM registration databases was therefore compromised by the non-verification of the identities used for registration.

    The deadline for that registration was supposed to be in March 2022.

    July 31, 2022

    When the March 2022 deadline ended, the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, announced an extension of the date.

    This was the second time a new deadline had been given.

    The new deadline was said to be at the end of July 2022.

    September 30, 2022

    Again, at the end of the previous deadline, the minister returned to give a new extended date for September 30, 2022.

    In this instance, however she indicated that the end of August 2022, people who had not fully or partially registered their cards would be prevented from undertaking certain services on their networks.

    When the time came, a number of such culprits did experience this ‘punishment’ but it was short-lived.

    October 31, 2022, grace period

    In the most recent statement, the sector minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, stated that the government had decided to give a grace period to persons who have linked their Ghana Card to their SIM in the reregistration process.

    She added that this was a moratorium to serve as encouragement for such people to complete their registration.

    “All SIM Cards that have been linked to Ghana Cards (i.e. completed Stage 1 registration), but have not completed their Stage 2 registration will be blocked from the end of October.

    “This is not an extension of the deadline but a temporary moratorium to encourage these individuals to complete the process. If they have any peculiar challenges, they should contact the NCA.

    “These good people have the Ghana card, have started the process and will be encouraged to complete it with this gentle reminder. All other unregistered SIMs will also be blocked progressively,” part of the statement read.

     

     

     

  • SIM card re-registration surges as punitive measures kick in

    There has been a surge in SIM card re-registration following the implementation of punitive measures meant to force unregistered subscribers to comply with the directive to re-register all SIM cards by September 30.

    The National Communications Authority (NCA) says after the announcement of plans to re-route outgoing calls for special messages to be played and temporarily block calls and data of unregistered numbers last Sunday,registration on the self-service App had risen by more than 1,200 as of midday last Monday.

    The authority said by the end of last Sunday, the recorded 5,500 successful registrations on the app had risen to 6,700 by midday the following day.

    The Deputy Corporate Affairs Director at the NCA, Kwame Gyan, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said barely a day into the implementation of the punitive measures, the NCA had seen an increase in the number of subscribers using the self-service App to register their SIM cards.

    He maintained that people started rushing to register their SIM cards when the telcos started implementing the measures.

    The punitive measures

    A press release issued by the NCA in Accra last Sunday read: “A set of punitive measures designed to culminate the year-long nationwide SIM registration exercise will kick in from Monday, September 5, 2022.

    “From Monday, September 5, 2022, subscribers who have not started their registration will have all outgoing calls re-routed to an interactive voice recording (IVR) for a SIM registration sensitisation message to be played before all calls are connected.

    “Subscribers with uncompleted registration; that is, those who linked their Ghana cards to their SIM cards via *404# but have not proceeded to have their biodata captured, will also face similar disruption in service from Wednesday, September 7, 2022.”

    It also said the punitive measures for data services for uncompleted SIM card registrants would kick in from September 12.

    The release said outgoing calls and data services would be blocked for affected subscribers for 48 hours once a week once the punitive measures kicked in from September 2022.

    Also, subscribers who had neither begun stage one nor completed stage two of the SIM registration process would be allowed to reconnect their SIMs after duly completing the two stages of the registration process, it said.

    “After September 30, 2022, these SIMs as described above will not have access to any service, as their SIMs will be deactivated.

    Subscribers will have a period of six months to register to redeem their SIMs, failing which their numbers will be churned – that is, re-assigned to the pool to be sold to potential new subscribers.

    “The NCA encourages subscribers to register their SIMs to avoid the associated inconvenience and potential disruption in service after September 30,” the release added.

    Data from the NCA say so far 17 million SIM cards have successfully gone through the complete registration since the exercise began in September 2021.

    This is out of the about 42 million subscribers currently in the system

    The SIM card re-registration, according to the NCA, would help curb fraudulent and criminal activities, secure SIM card-based transactions, as well as help determine at every point in time the accurate number of valid and accurate SIMs on the networks

    For the telcos, the exercise will enable them to build better demographics of their customer base and help them to develop products and services to suit the various groupings.

    Unregistered subscribers

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, confirmed that implementation of the punitive measures by the telcos had already kicked off.

    “The point is that implementation has started, but whether it has resulted in an increase in registrations I cannot tell for now, “ he told the Daily Graphic.

    “By July 28, we were registering more than 250,000 a day. On the day the minister was announcing the extension, the registration centres were full of people eager to register. But after the announcement, the people left without registering.

    “We have also monitored that after August 18, the numbers dwindled totally to 5,000 per day,” he said.

    Mobile money agents

    The General Secretary of Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG), Evans Otumfuo, said the association was against the punitive measures in principle because it would impact many of its members and customers who, through no fault of theirs, did not have access to the Ghana cards.

    He underlined the need for the government to reconsider extending the deadline for the registration of SIM cards in the interest of the gains made in the communications industry.

    “The association has since endorsed this policy to re-register SIMs due to its positive impact on our businesses by helping to curb fraud.

    “As business people in the industry, it will be very detrimental to our businesses and the industry in general should the deadline be pursued, since many Ghanaians, running into millions, are yet to be registered and issued with the Ghana cards,” he said.

    Source: Graphiconline