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NCA Audit Shock: Zero Fingerprint Matches Found in 2 Million SIM Registrations
The National Communications Authority (NCA) has revealed major flaws in Ghana’s SIM card registration system after an audit of data from 2021 to 2023 found zero fingerprint matches when cross-checked with the national identity database.
The findings, disclosed by the NCA’s Director-General Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, form part of preparations for a planned nationwide SIM card re-registration exercise aimed at improving data accuracy and security.
According to Fianko, a sample of about 2 million SIM registrations was tested against records held by the National Identification Authority (NIA) in June 2025.
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“We found out that some SIM records could not be verified… As for the fingerprint, there was zero match,” he revealed during a stakeholder engagement on March 17, 2026.
The development raises serious concerns about the integrity of subscriber data, despite efforts to link SIM cards to verified identities during the nationwide registration exercise.
Fianko attributed the mismatch partly to differences in how biometric data was captured during the registration process.
“Fundamentally, the NIA fingerprint was taken with contact, whereas what we did with the mobile registration was contactless,” he explained.
Beyond fingerprint issues, the audit uncovered several other irregularities, including:
- Incorrect identity information
- Unverified biometric data
- Inconsistencies between systems
While fingerprint verification failed entirely, facial recognition recorded relatively better outcomes.
Out of 2.3 million records tested, about 81.1% matched, while 18.9% failed verification. However, the NCA noted that the absence of a liveness check meant the system could not confirm whether the person presenting the ID was genuinely the owner.
The revelations come despite nearly 40 million SIM cards being registered nationwide, highlighting the scale of the challenge in ensuring credible and secure subscriber data.
The NCA says the upcoming SIM re-registration exercise will address these shortcomings by strengthening verification processes and aligning registration more closely with the NIA database.
The move is expected to improve data integrity, national security and regulatory oversight in Ghana’s telecommunications sector, as authorities seek to correct gaps exposed by the audit.
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