Law Professor, Raymond Atuguba, and President of think tank, IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, are among over 20 influential persons pushing for a ‘no calls day’ tomorrow to protest the ongoing SIM card re-registration.
The #NoCallsDay is backed by over 7,000 online petitioners protesting what they say is an illegal and chaotic process.
“On Tuesday [February 8, 2022], we are appealing to Ghanaians and all mobile network users within Ghana not to make and or received calls and all associated mobile network activities from 6 am to 12midday,” the Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers, led by former Kumbungu MP, Ras Mubarak, appealed in a press statement.
Subscribers are required to provide the name and residential or occupational address, date of birth, in the case of an individual; and Certificate of Incorporation, in the case of a body corporate; or registration, in the case of a partnership or an unincorporated body of persons; and an identification document as part of the SIM re-registration.
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Only the National Identity Card (Ghana Card) issued to an individual shall be used for registration of SIM cards of Citizens, Foreign Residents and Foreigners staying in Ghana for more than 90 days.
But the Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers – which also include Kofi Bentil, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Kofi Kakraba Pratt, Mona Quartey and Samson Lardy Anyenini among others – say National Communications Authority (NCA) and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have failed to address concerns associated with the legality and chaotic nature of the process.
Read the full press release on the #NoCallsDay below.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Accra, 6th February 2022
Following the failure of the National Communications Authority (NCA) and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to address concerns associated with the legality and chaotic Sim-Reregistration Exercise, we the undersigned Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers, and the over 7000 online petitioners, call upon our fellow countrymen and women to join our campaign for a #NoCallsDay boycott of the MNOs on Tuesday 8th February 2022.
On Tuesday, we are appealing to Ghanaians and all mobile network users within Ghana not to make and or received calls and all associated mobile network activities from 6am to 12midday.
The #NoCallsDay boycott on 8th February, would be the first in a series of national boycotts to protest against the illegal and inhumane process of re-registration of SIM cards.
Our position remains as follows; that the SIM card re-registration exercise is;
(I) Illegal
(II) The NCA should immediately withdraw its directive for mobile network customers to re-register their SIM cards by 31st March 2022.
(iii) Appropriate legal framework must be in place for any directives for sim re-registration to happen
(IV) A demand for the NCA and MNOs to come up with a better and innovative way of re-registering the SIM cards without the current chaotic and inhumane re-registration process we are witnessing up and down the country.
(V) The NCA should direct the MNOs to stop using private phones of employees to collect subscribers' biometric data.
Our next line of action after Tuesday 8th February, if the concerns raised above remain would be a full day’s (6am - 6pm) boycott on Tuesday 15th February, and same every other Tuesday until the appropriate action is taken by the NCA & MNOs.
Signed:
- Hon. Ras Mubarak
- Prof. Raymond Atuguba
- Dr. Kwesi Owusu
- H. E. Hassan Ayariga
- Mr. Franklin Cudjoe
- Mr. Kofi Bentil
- Mr. Gyedu Blay Ambolley
- Mr. Kofi Kakraba Pratt
- Hon. Mrs. Mona Quartey
- Mr. Samson Lardy Anyenini
- Mr. James Afedo
- Mr. Selorm Branttie
- Mr. Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi
- Mr. Manasseh Azure Awuni
- Akyaaba Addai - Sebo
- Ms. Amma Sarfo-Kantanka
- Mr Kwame Mfodwo
- Mr Michael Ofori - Akuffo
- Dr. Godfred Seidu Jassaw
- Nana Kwaku Agyeman
- Mr. Appiah Adomako
- Mr. Sulemana Issifu