The Minister of Communication, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has called for a re-run of the SIM card registration exercise which began three years ago.
According to Mr Boamah, this was as a result of the proliferation of fake ID cards that marred the prior registration exercise.
The National Communications Authority (NCA) three years ago issued a directive to all telecommunication companies to register all active SIM cards, in order to track the identity of mobile phone users, particularly those who use phones to commit crimes.
Dr Boamah was speaking at a digital family forum in Accra, organised by his ministry to bring together policy makers, regulatory authorities, the private sector, civil society and consumers within the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, to share ideas on the development of the sector.
Available statistics
Dr Boamah said the service sector accounted for 49 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012.
“As at the end of last year, total telephone subscriptions grew to over 28 million subscribers from a 2012 figure of over 25 million. Mobile data also grew up to 10 million subscribers by the end of 2013, highlighting the growing importance of mobile internet in Ghana,” he added.
These accomplishments, according to Mr Boamah, encouraged the ministry to continue to invest in broadband infrastructure in all parts of the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Telecommunications, Mr Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, also called on the government to consider the removal of the 20 per cent import duty on mobile handsets in order to increase the patronage of the product.
“Government must strike a careful, delicate balance between short-term tax demands with the longer-term potential for even greater tax revenues from enterprises/businesses that have become more efficient and grown on the back of this industry–our industry,” he added.
Consumer Protection Agency
In his address, Mr Kofi Kapito, the Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), said service providers in the ICT sector must provide quality service to their clients.
He also said the response and reaction to consumer complaints by the service providers were poor, adding that, “all what consumers want is value for money”.