The Ghana Telecommunications Chamber has urged Mobile money agents who have been affected by the blockade of SIM cards to visit the National Identification Authority offices for quick resolution.
Close to about 40,000 mobile money agents have had their SIM cards used for transactions blocked for not linking it to their Ghana cards.
Speaking on Ghana Tonight, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey said there is a need for the SIM cards to be linked to Ghana card to resolve security issues surrounding electronic transactions.
According to the Chamber, the blockade of the SIM cards is not “terminal” and affected agents have opportunity to link their SIM to Ghana cards.
“My appeal to any agent who has been blocked today is that quickly go to the NIA offices, get a Ghana card if you do not have one and get it linked. If you have the Ghana card already, please get it linked. If you have any other challenge for which you cannot do it, contact any of your EMIs and that will be done for you,” he stated.
He explained that most of the issues involving the linkage of SIM cards to the Ghana card have “all been resolved” stressing that reasons for not doing so are not “tenable”.
The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications announced on January 30, 2024 that Electronic Money Issuers (EMIS) across the country have until the end of Wednesday, January 31, 2024, to collaborate with agents to link their accounts with the Ghana Card or TIN or have their SIM cards blocked.
According to the chamber, this directive follows multiple extensive engagements with the leadership of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, January 30, the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications noted that “All agent accounts without Ghana Cards will be blocked on the 1st of February 2024.”
“We would like to use this press release as a last call-to-action to the agents, by urging them to regularize their operations through the linking of their accounts with their Ghana Cards or TIN if they haven’t already. Failure to do so before the end of Wednesday, January 31, 2024, will lead to the blocking of their accounts,” the statement added.