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El Samuels: MBN360
The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has announced that SIM cards will now be registered alongside mobile phones through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) to curb mobile money fraud. This move aims to address the growing concern of SIM swapping, where fraudsters use forged Ghana cards to obtain duplicate SIMs and hijack mobile money accounts, according to the Economic Organized Crime Office (EOCO).
The registration process will link SIM cards to individual phones, making it more difficult for fraudsters to use stolen or duplicate SIMs. The CEIR will help identify and block stolen or blacklisted phones, reducing the risk of mobile money fraud. The government hopes that this initiative will protect citizens and boost confidence in the mobile money ecosystem.
“People are using SIM cards these days for things that are illegal so we are going to be registering the SIM cards with the phones as well because we need to deal with mobile money fraud“, he said.
In an interview on TV3 on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, the Minister announced that the government will block both the SIM card and phone device if a number is flagged for fraud, making it more difficult for perpetrators to continue their activities.
“Once the IMEI of your phone is synced to your phone, it would be easy to know if your number is flagged. Today the cost of mobile money fraud is GHS10 because once your number is reported to us and we block it, it only costs 10 cedis to get another SIM card so we will block the sim and phone together so that it becomes expensive to do fraud”, he noted.
The CEIR will help track and identify stolen or counterfeit devices, and the biometric SIM registration will ensure that SIM cards are linked to legitimate users. This initiative is expected to boost trust in digital financial services, improve transaction traceability, and reduce cybercrime risks.
The government has been working to address mobile money fraud, which has resulted in significant financial losses. In 2023, the Bank of Ghana reported 13,451 cases of financial fraud, with 20% tied to mobile money. The new policy is a step towards creating a more secure digital ecosystem.
