Day: July 26, 2022

Accra, July 26, GNA — Consumer protection firm, CUTS International, has asked the Government to extend the deadline date for the SIM card registration to the end of the year.

That, it said, would allow the majority of Ghanaians acquire the necessary logistics such as the national identity card to enable them to register their sim.

Speaking at a news conference in Accra, Mr Appiah Kusi Adomako, the West African Regional Director for CUTS International, said as a consumer protection organisation, it had received numerous concerns from consumers about the difficulty they went through in acquiring the Ghana Card to enable them to register their sim cards.

He said even some people who registered during the mass registration exercise in 2019 were yet to receive their cards.

Mr Adomako noted that while the organisation understood the rationale for the mandatory SIM card registration and the implication of unregistered SIM cards on crime prevention and detection, as well as, on government domestic revenue mobilisation measures, extending the deadline to the end of the year would ensure that those who had not registered were able to do so.

“Again, we are also not unmindful that not everyone would get registered should it be extended to the end of the year but those who would take advantage of the extension to register would outnumber those who would not register,” he added.

Data from the National Identification Authority (NIA) indicates that, as at July 21, 2022, about 800,000 Ghanaians were yet to receive or pick up their printed cards while several others had their cards misplaced or errors on the spelling of their names.

The SIM registration exercise, which commenced on October 1, 2021, was initially expected to end on March 31, 2022, but later extended to July 31, 2022, following public outcry.

Mr Adomako also warned that the telecommunication companies risked losing huge volume of revenue from their customers should the deadline not be extended as some had taken microloans from the mobile operators and disabling their sim card would create a substantial loss to the industry players.

Also, he said, the Government risked losing huge amount of revenue from the electronic transactions (e-levy) from customers should the deadline remained.

“As a way to compel those who have not registered their sim cards to register, perhaps, the Ministry of Communications can adopt a phased limitations on sim card starting from 1st September 2022. This could include limiting the amount of mobile money that an unregistered sim can send and or receive to a maximum of GHS 100.00 per day and maximum internet bundle to say 100MB per day,” he advised.

Mr Shadrack Nii Yarboi Yartey, Communication and Advocacy Lead for CUTS, said the use of mobile phone had become an integral part of everyday lives and that disabling the sim cards of Ghanaians because there could not register would deprive them of their source of livelihood.

“Its usefulness is enormous and has become a great source of livelihood for most Ghanaians. Disabling the sim cards of Ghanaians who haven’t registered their sim card is like depriving them of their livelihood,” he added.

He also urged the Telcos to improve both data and call network connectivity, and customer service delivery to consumers to promote speed of doing business in the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, July 26, GNA — The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) says it will not hesitate to take “drastic measures” against persons, including staff of the Authority, who undermine its reputation.

“The fight against corruption is a collective effort. The Authority observes a firm policy against corrupt practices and would not hesitate to take drastic measures against persons, including staff of the Authority, who undermine its reputation.”

A statement issued by the Authority said they had taken note of the survey on People’s Experiences and Views on corruption in Ghana recently published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in partnership with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and Ghana Statistical Service, which featured the Authority.

It said NRSA was “highly concerned” about the reputational consequences of the report.

The Authority, therefore, intends to engage the publishers to get further insights into the nature of interviews and evidence, if any, to assist immediate efforts to reverse the negative perception.

It said bribe-taking underlined the bargaining power of public officials whose position of relative power enables them to solicit payment in exchange for the promise of providing a public service, as suggested by the report.

However, the statement said the nature of the Authority’s operations did not ordinarily put their officials in that situation of relative influence.

It said NRSA had noted an identity gap by sections of the public on its personnel and functions that might have influenced the perception.

The statement said the Authority distributed safety materials, including reflective vests branded with “Road Safety” and the Authority’s logo to road safety interest groups.

It said it did appear that the public related all such individuals wearing Road Safety-branded paraphernalia and their conduct to the Authority, which might have influenced “this negative public perception.”

The statement reiterated the commitment of the NRSA to address the negative perception by interrogating the report to influence remedial actions with policy and public support to cure the negative perception.

It said encouraged the public to report any such misconduct through the Road Safety Information Centre by calling 194 on all networks as a whistle-blowing tool.

A Ghana Integrity of Public Services Survey (GIPSS) published recently said Ghana lost approximately GHS5 billion in cash through the payment of bribes to public officials in 2021.

The survey was conducted by the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).?

Apart from the cash payment, which contributed 84.8 per cent of the forms of bribe paid, 13.3 per cent of the bribes paid were food and drinks; 9.7 per cent, exchange for other services; 5 per cent valuables, and 2.2 per cent animals.?

The bribes were paid by 33.6 per cent citizens to speed up procedures; 15.8 per cent, as a sign of appreciation; 13.8 per cent, to avoid the payment of fine; 10.8 per cent to avoid problems, and 3.1 per cent, to avoid the cancellation of public utilities.

The survey said that more than a quarter of the country’s adult population (26.7 per cent) paid bribes to a public official in 2021.?

It said most of the bribes were paid at the direct request of the public officials involved, as six out of 10 bribes paid (59.4 per cent) were directly requested by those officials.?

Findings from the survey showed that the Ghana Police Service, Immigration Service and the Customs officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) were the three top institutions which received bribes.?

They are followed by the Lands Commission, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Passport Office officials, and prosecutors, judges and magistrates, with elected government officials, being the least recipients.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Kadjebi (O/R), July 26, GNA – The Kadjebi District Office of the National Identification Authority (NIA) is recording heavy human traffic as people rush for the Ghana Card to enable them to register their SIM cards before the deadline for re-registration.

Ghana News Agency’s (GNA) visit to the Office saw SIM Card users, who are yet to re-register their SIM cards for lack of Ghana Card, walking to the offices to complete processes for their Ghana Card.

In an interview with the GNA at Kadjebi, Mr Angelo Fiawotoafor, the District Registration Officer (DRO), said hitherto, “those who registered during the mass registration period and were reluctant to get their cards are now coming for them.”

He said similarly, “those who never registered at all are also coming to register for the card” since the deadline for SIM card “is coming to a close.”

He said the Directorate registers averagely between 10-20 applicants daily currently and attributed the surge to the SIM Card re-registration deadline on Sunday, July 31, 2022.

He appealed to the populace to come and register for their Ghana Cards, but not wait for deadlines to own the card.

Mr Fiawotoafor said the card identified and affirmed the holder as a Ghanaian and allowed him or her access to a world of benefits, adding that the personal identification number and biometric data secured one from identity theft and impersonation.

Mr Emmanuel Akorli, an applicant, told GNA that he came on three occasions to register, but was unsuccessful due to network failure, so the exercise should be extended as most citizens were in queues attempting to register for the Ghana Card.

The SIM Cards re-registration commenced on October 1, 2021 and expected to end on July 31, 2022.

This required SIM subscribers to re-register their SIMs or risk being removed from the communication network.

Those subscribers who failed to re-register would not be able to make voice calls, use mobile money service, internet and all other services linked to the SIM Card after the deadline.

A Ghanaian citizen who resides in Ghana and currently using a SIM Card or who intends to use a SIM Card needed a Ghana Card to do the registration.

The exercise was meant to curb fraudulent and criminal activities, secure SIM Card-based transactions, help determine at every point in time the accurate number of valid and accurate SIMs on the networks, help develop and build a SIM database, among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Aflao (VR), July 26, GNA – Some women and youth in the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) sector in Ketu South are undergoing a training to build their capacity to embrace peace, promote social cohesion, and to prevent violent extremism.

The three-day training of trainers’ workshop by National Peace Council (NPC) funded by the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) would take participants, including hairdressers, fish processors, traders, farmers and drivers, through topics like understanding conflict and conflict prevention.

Other topics were the “Overview of extremist violence in the Sahel; Why and how violent extremism impacts economic activities; Prevention of Violent Extremism; Role of women and youth in preventing violent extremism; Early warning and response in preventing violent extremism; Citizens rights and responsibilities; Identification of practical risks and threats to border communities; and understanding whole-community approach to preventing violent extremism.

Miss Melody Azinim, the Programme Analyst, who represented Dr Angela Lusigi, UNDP Resident Representative in Ghana at the opening session, alluded to the recent acts of violent extremism in neighbouring countries and said Ghana required both a security and development approach to counter violent extremism and to retain her leadership on peace in the region.

She urged the Government not to overconcentrate on militarised approaches but pay closer attention to underlying conditions that could drive people to radicalise and join violent extremist groups.

She said the Government should collaborate with other institutions in the country to identify the threats of violent extremism and terrorism and provide the “architecture, context, and strategy to prevent and counter the threat.”

“Just a few weeks, we heard of the attacks in Togo and the increasing mass killing of community members in Burkina Faso by extremist groups.

Border communities have particularly been areas of concern with places such as Ketu South, which greatly relies on trade with Togo.

“These threats have a potential of threatening the country’s democratic and development gains.”

Dr Lusigi expressed excitement about UNDP’s partnership with the NPC for the training, which she said was one of the many ways her organisation was contributing to Ghana’s efforts towards preventing violent extremism from taking a hold in the country.

“UNDP will continue to work with the different actors to ensure that Ghana advances its enviable record as a beacon of stability and peace in Africa,” she concluded.

Rev Seth Mawutor, the Chairman, Volta Region NPC, explained that the women and youth led MSMEs were carefully selected for the workshop based on intelligence gathering that identified them as carrying high risks of exposure to extremist and terrorist infiltration and recruitment.

He urged all participants to take advantage of the workshop, participate actively in all sessions hoping that “at the end of the workshop, the knowledge gained will help you play an advocacy role in your sectors and various communities.”

Mr Moses Attipoe, a participant in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, thanked UNDP and NPC for the training, saying, he had already learned a lot and he intended sharing with others so that together, Ketu South and Ghana could be safe from activities and impacts of extremist groups.

Source: Ghana News Agency