Dr Abed Bandim is MP for Bunkpurugu
The Member of Parliament for Bunkpurugu Constituency, Dr Abed Bandim, has strongly criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s handling of the SIM card re-registration exercise, describing it as a “sham” that has left the country’s telecommunications industry in a worse state.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, during the budget debate, he argued that the re-registration process had failed to achieve its intended purpose and had instead created confusion and inefficiencies.
“Mr. Speaker, in 2011, the NDC government successfully conducted a SIM card registration exercise in collaboration with all industry stakeholders.
“However, under the NPP government, we have gone back to zero. The exercise was poorly executed, and today, we are no better off than when we started. In fact, I can confidently say that we may have to restart the registration process all over again,” Dr Bandim stated.
He also accused the former government of failing to engage stakeholders effectively and implementing policies that have disrupted the industry rather than strengthen it.
According to him, the flawed re-registration process has put many Ghanaians at risk, including businesses and individuals who lost access to their mobile services due to unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.
The Bunkpurugu MP further called for a thorough review of the registration exercise to address the gaps and ensure that future policies are implemented efficiently.
He urged the current government to learn from past mistakes and involve industry experts to create a more secure and transparent registration system.
“Mr. Speaker, this government has failed in managing our telecommunications sector, and we must take immediate steps to correct these errors before they further damage our economy and security,” he added.
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