The Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, has assured Ghanaians that privacy protections will be central to the upcoming SIM card registration exercise.
The exercise, being prepared by the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation in collaboration with the NCA, is aimed at improving the identification of mobile phone users across the country.
Speaking on March 22, 2026, Mr. Fianko emphasised that privacy concerns are being taken seriously in the design of the new system.
“I am a mobile user myself, so I wouldn’t want to create a solution that will later become a problem for myself. I will not be in this position forever,” he said.
He noted that the NCA is working closely with the Data Protection Commission to ensure that the process meets required data protection standards.
“Because of privacy concerns, we are working with the Data Protection Agency. The LI itself is also building in provisions for cybersecurity, protection, and others. So, it is going to be an ethical process,” he added.
Mr. Fianko stressed that the primary objective of the exercise is proper user identification, not surveillance.
“I am not aware of any attempt to use this for anything that will hurt the privacy of the people or do anything that we haven’t communicated. The primary objective of the exercise is proper identification of users,” he said.
Addressing concerns about potential government surveillance, he explained that strict legal safeguards have been built into the system.
“The LI is putting in processes, including anybody—the national security, cyber security authority or even the police—will need a court order before accessing any data from the data centre,” he stated.
