The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Wisdom Yayra Koku Deku, has opposed suggestions that telecom operators and the Authority should simply match their biometric databases to complete SIM registration processes.
In a Facebook post on Friday, March 20, 2026, Yayra Koku described the proposal as a serious threat to data privacy and a flawed understanding of how biometric systems operate.
“The suggestion by some technologists that the NIA is already having the biometrics of SIM subscribers so the NIA and Telcos should just match their records is a DANGEROUS suggestion and a clear breach of data privacy and NIA will never be part of such a lazy approach of registering SIMs as suggested,” he stated.
Mr. Deku stressed that biometric data cannot be accessed or used without the explicit consent of individuals, warning that any attempt to bypass this principle undermines the integrity of identity management systems.
“How do you map someone’s biometrics without their permission? People need to understand how biometric systems work,” he questioned.
According to him, the NIA’s verification system is designed to protect user data by requiring direct biometric consent before any authentication is carried out.
“The NIA verification platform does not allow access to anyone’s data unless they provide consent via biometric verification. This establishes the true identity of the card holder, which never happened during the previous SIM registration,” he explained.
He further noted that even data correction or clean-up within biometric systems must involve the data subject, reinforcing the centrality of consent.
“Lastly, in any biometric system, you dont clean up data without the consent of the person via biometric verification,” he added.
His comments come in the wake of remarks by President John Dramani Mahama, who criticised the previous SIM re-registration exercise, describing it as poorly coordinated.
“The previous SIM re-registration exercise was marred by challenges and lacked coordination because the former Communications Minister was not on speaking terms with the head of the NIA; ultimately, the exercise was not useful,” Mr. Mahama said.
However, former Communications Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has defended the 2022–2023 exercise, insisting it addressed longstanding gaps in earlier SIM registration regimes.
She maintained that the process was anchored on the Ghana Card and followed a structured, two-stage approach involving identity verification with the NIA before biometric capture.
According to her, the reform ensured that all active SIM cards were properly linked to verified identities, describing this as “an incontrovertible fact.”
Metrotvonline
