NCA Engages Stakeholders on Draft Numbering Resource Registration Regulations

March 13, 2026 – The National Communications Authority (NCA) has held a stakeholder engagement with industry players to discuss the draft Numbering Resource Registration Regulations.

The engagement, held at the NCA Tower in Airport City, created an opportunity for stakeholders to review the draft Regulations following the incorporation of comments previously submitted on the subject.

In his opening remarks, the Director General of the NCA, Rev. Ing. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, highlighted the critical role the Regulations would play in the upcoming SIM registration exercise. Providing the background to the engagement, he presented an overview of the evolution of SIM registration efforts in the country over the years.  According to him, the primary objective of previous exercises—curbing fraud and strengthening public confidence in the use of communications services—had not been fully achieved.

He emphasised that the current process presented an opportunity to improve upon past efforts as the nation was better positioned to address previous pitfalls. ‘We are here now wanting to perfect a system that we have attempted twice [already to perfect], so this time I think we have the benefit of experience from both processes. I think we have seen a lot of the tricks in the book because we have seen the pitfalls in the previous registration exercises’, Ing. Fianko noted.

The Director General explained that the upcoming registration would be more convenient for the public. He indicated that the third registration exercise was expected to be easier and more efficient, eliminating the long queues experienced in previous exercises as lessons from earlier efforts had been taken into account.

Encouraging meaningful contributions to the process, he urged stakeholders to continue reviewing the draft Regulations and submit any additional comments before the Legislative Instrument was passed. ‘We want to hear every shade of opinion, we want to listen to every shade of opinion, so feel free to share your opinion’, he added.

The engagement provided participants with the opportunity to share diverse views on various sections of the draft following a presentation of its key provisions. Discussions and inquiries from stakeholders covered several thematic areas including provisions relating to permanent residents, tourists and foreigners, financial implications, the duration of the exercise, the number of SIM cards that could be registered with a single identification card, as well as the registration of minors and diplomats.

In his closing remarks, Ing. Fianko expressed the Authority’s appreciation to stakeholders for their contributions, noting that the feedback received would help strengthen the Regulations and improve the management of numbering resources within the communications industry.

Participants at the engagement included the Deputy Director General for Technical Operations at the NCA, Mr. Suleman Salifu and some Management and Staff of the Authority. There were also industry players and representatives from several institutions in attendance, including those from the National Identification Authority, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, the Consumer Protection Agency, CUTS International Ghana as well as Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).