The GHS5 fee on SIM re-registration App illegal — Concerned Mobile Network Users fight Ursula Owusu

A group calling itself the Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers in Ghana is calling out the Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu Ekuful for trying to what they said overburden Ghanaians with "a five Ghana cedi self-service fee" on the SIM card re-registration.

According to the group, the Minister's decision to impose the GHc5.00 fee is illegal, since she had not sought any parliamentary approval.

A statement issued and signed by the leader of the Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers, Ras Mubarak (former MP for Kumbungu Constituency), advised Ms. Owusu Ekuful to abandon the insensitive decision which has the potential to compound the already economic hardships inflicted on the masses by the government.

"Serious governments all over the world are giving their citizen's relief packages to ease the burden of the global economic meltdown. It is therefore disappointing that the Minister will seek to illegally impose further burden on the already struggling Ghanaian public," the statement asserted.

It indicated that the Communications Minister had announced that a “SIM Registration App will be available for download on both android and IOS” this week adding that, “each registration via the app will be subject to a 5 cedi surcharge.”

The statement stressed, "This surcharge as announced by the Minister would be illegal if collected".

It also condemned the whole SIM card re-registration exercise which it said was dehumanizing, more frustrating and "lacked a well thought-through implementation strategy, hence the confusion and flip flop".

The Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers blamed the confusion and chaos that had characterized the "illegal sim-card registration exercise" on the Minister for Communications.

Read full statement below:

RESPONSE TO MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS’ ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE CHAOTIC SIM RE-REGISTRATION EXERCISE

We note with disappointment the Minister of Communications’ announcement today on the chaotic SIM re-registration exercise where she failed to apologize to Ghanaians for the chaos associated with the exercise.

The confusion and chaos that have characterized the illegal sim-card registration exercise should be blamed at the doorsteps of the Minister for Communications.

Also disappointing was the Minister’s indication that a “SIM Registration App will be available for download on both android and IOS” this week and that “each registration via the app will be subject to a 5 cedi surcharge.”

This surcharge as announced by the Minister would be illegal if collected. The Minister has been an MP for some time and should know what ought to be done to impose fees or charges. She has not sought parliamentary approval and has no authority to impose fees or charges without parliamentary approval.

Secondly, at a time of an economic meltdown where serious governments all over the world are giving their citizens relief packages to ease the burden of the recession, it is disappointing that the Minister will seek to illegally impose further burden on the already struggling Ghanaian public.

We call on her to abandon this insensitive announcement to illegally impose a surcharge of GHc 5 on Ghanaians.

We the Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers maintain that the dehumanizing nature of the roll out was avoidable.

The whole exercise lacked a well thought-through implementation strategy, hence the confusion and flip flop.

END.

Signed

Ras Mubarak (Former MP-Kumbungu)