The Minister of Communications, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah says government has put in place measures to make the SIM box fraud business unattractive.
[contextly_sidebar id=”ntdTp8TeMN7QxfslpllIy1LnZDpJaGe9″]Dr. Omane Boamah said the introduction of the Interconnect Clearing House this year will help trace individuals who engage in the illegal business.
Following the arrest of six persons involved in the illegal activity, many Ghanaians including the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecom, Kwaku Sakyi Addo has blamed the booming business on the high cost of international calls in the country.
But the minister explained that “there are other countries that also have it even beyond 0.19 cents yet because they have implemented interconnect clearing house, they do not have the kind of SIM box fraud that we have here in Ghana.”
He added that such move will also have an impact on the economy because “I must also add that it is almost like saying because people will steal, let us reduce it and what will be the implication in terms of revenue for government” adding that sometimes some of the telecommunication companies in Ghana may not be able to generate the needed revenue for government.
Meanwhile, government has revealed that the country lost about $33.6 million through the activities of SIM box fraudsters.
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By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana