Congratulations, NCA: Now hurry, get the legal backing to issue threats and everyone should register their SIM Cards only with valid IDs.

IMANI wishes to thank the National Communications Authority (NCA) for extending the deadline for the registration of SIM cards in Ghana by 90 days. While its decision might be informed by reasons of expediency, we at IMANI wish to congratulate the efforts of its supporters in helping to generate enough critical mass to make our views, voice and analysis attract the attention of the NCA in pursuing its policies and objectives. In making decisions such as this, the amount of pressure and veracity of points put in favour of the extension by organizations such as IMANI really count a lot.

As much as we support the need for SIM registration, we wish to stress that we need the right systems in place in order that the right thing is done all the time to protect the interests of Ghanaian citizens, which is paramount and above all other interests as far as we are concerned.

In that direction, we wish to state further that this be an open system that will ensure verification by members of the public since the data being used and stored is in their interest most of all. It is important that the right identification pre-requisites for registration are also made available in order not to disenfranchise the general public.

We will use this platform to humbly appeal to the NIA, the government and other agencies involved in the issue of identification to speed up the processes and access to those facilities since IDs are now becoming very vital for the access of important services and activities. Since the state has so chosen to look after its own, i

t is the state's duty to provide all of us with a unique identification cards that do not bar any one on the basis of age, skills, and access to public services.

Sincerely,