The authorities in Ghana say more than eight million unregistered Sim cards have been blocked in the country after their owners failed to meet a final registration deadline.
The disconnection of the mobile lines means their owners will no longer be able to make calls or access the internet, neither will they be able to use mobile money services.
Ghana’s Ministry of Communication and Digitisation and the National Communications Authority had said the mandatory Sim card registration was to help fight crimes such as fraud and to ensure digital security.
The process started in October last year when the government issued a directive for people to register their mobile lines.
The first stage of the registration involves mobile phone customers linking their Sim cards with their national identity card details.
They then have their biometric data captured by mobile phone service providers to complete the registration.
The deadline had been extended several times.
The last given date was 30 November.
A significant number of Ghana’s population of 31 million have yet to acquire a national identity card, making it difficult to register their Sim cards.
The authorities say more than 20 million lines have been fully registered so far. Individuals are allowed to register a maximum of 10 Sim cards with their national ID card.
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