A senior research fellow at the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP), Dr. Frank Bannor, has sharply criticised the Mahama administration’s proposal to re-register SIM cards, describing it as financially reckless and unnecessary.
In a note copied to the media, Dr. Bannor questioned the logic behind the decision, arguing that the previous nationwide SIM registration exercise had already achieved its intended objectives without the need for further expenditure.
“The previous government spent millions of taxpayers’ funds registering SIM cards nationwide, a very successful exercise. Why should money be spent on redoing the same exercise by this government?” he asked.
Dr. Bannor did not hold back in his assessment, suggesting that the move lacked financial prudence. “It is financially unwise and unsound to waste money on doing this again. What do we seek to achieve with this proposed exercise that was not achieved with the previous one?” he quizzed.
He further called on Parliament to intervene and block the proposed plan, warning of its potential impact on the country’s limited financial resources.
“This level of profligacy should not be allowed by Parliament. Parliament must vehemently kick against this move by the government. It is a complete waste of our scarce resources,” he stressed.
Dr. Bannor also went on to question the motives behind the new registration exercise, suggesting it could be part of a broader scheme for financial mismanagement.
“This looks like a create, loot, and share scheme undertaken by the government of the day. Spending money to re-register our SIM cards doesn’t make financial sense.
“If there were loopholes, they should use technology to fix them instead of throwing away what has been done already,” he stated.
