The National Identification Authority (NIA) has announced that starting today, April 7, 2025, it will begin issuing printed Ghana Cards and registering new applicants in the Greater Accra Region.
According to a statement from the NIA, all District Offices in the region will be giving out cards to people who registered between June 2023 and now but haven’t received them yet.
People who fall into this group should go back to the same District Office where they first registered to pick up their cards.
Also, all Ghanaians aged 15 and above who haven’t registered for the Ghana Card are encouraged to visit any NIA District Office in the Greater Accra Region to complete their registration.
The NIA stressed that both the registration and the card are completely free. They warned the public not to pay anyone for these services.
The Authority also urged Ghanaians to report any staff member who tries to take money for helping with registration or card collection.
“However, replacement cards and updates to personal records will still attract a fee, as previously stipulated.”
The National Labour Commission (NLC) has upheld the decision of former Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Ken Attafuah, regarding the dismissal of Martin Akowuah, a former employee of the authority.
The ruling, delivered on March 14, affirmed that Mr. Akowuah’s termination in 2023 was justified, as it was based on his unauthorized adjustment of working hours at the NIA’s Madina district office without official approval.
Following his dismissal, Mr. Akowuah petitioned the NLC, seeking a reversal of the decision. However, after a thorough review, the Commission concluded that Professor Attafuah’s actions were in line with the Human Resource Management Policy Framework and Manual for the Ghana Public Service, as well as the NIA’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on registration.
“It is the decision of the Commission that the decision of the Respondent to dismiss the Complainant was in line with the Human Resource Management Policy Framework and Manual for the Ghana Public Service and NIA’s SOP on registration, for the unlawful, unilateral and irregular alteration of the working hours of NIA without the due authorization and approval of NIA,” the ruling stated.
Reacting to the verdict, Professor Attafuah reiterated his commitment to fairness in employee management.
“Mr. Martin Akowuah’s allegations that I treated him unfairly run contrary to my nature, and to everything I stand for, and to everything I have done as a human rights advocate here and abroad. I believe I’m fair to a fault, using my training as a lawyer to serve humanity with integrity and to advance good governance in good conscience,” he stated in a media interview.
He also highlighted the challenges of institutional leadership in Ghana, citing misinformation and political interference as major obstacles.
“Unfortunately, providing effective institutional leadership is a particularly difficult and challenging enterprise in our part of the world where excessive politicization and personalization of issues, unbridled propaganda and misuse of social and mainstream media often blur clarity, confound the public, suppress the truth, and destroy decent champions of discipline and sound public ethics. Thankfully, as in this case, truth stands, eventually!” he added.
The ruling by the NLC brings closure to the dispute, reinforcing the authority’s internal policies on staff conduct and operational procedures.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has responded to misinformation circulated by the Daily Graphic on Facebook, clarifying that the fees for Ghana Card services have not been altered since 2023.
The NIA stressed that claims of a fee revision were false and misleading.
On February 4, 2025, Daily Graphic published a post with the headline “NIA introduces new fees for Ghana card services at premium centres,” which suggested that the NIA had recently revised its fees.
The authority swiftly issued a statement denying this assertion, noting that a previous post on its official Facebook page, which highlighted charges for certain services, had been misunderstood.
“The statement by Daily Graphic is false and untrue,” the NIA declared. “The said fees and charges were approved in 2023 by the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana and have not been reviewed since. All fees and charges reviews are done solely with the approval of Parliament and not by the Authority.”
The NIA also emphasized that the posted fees only applied to services provided at premium centres, as district offices continue to offer free first-time registration services. “The said fees and charges posted on our Facebook page apply to our Premium Centres only as our District Offices remain free for all first issuance processes,” the statement clarified.
In an effort to prevent further confusion, the NIA urged all media outlets to verify the accuracy of information before publication. “We entreat all media houses to verify the authenticity of information before the dissemination of same.”
The NIA further outlined the existing charges for services at its premium centres, which have been in place since May 2024. First-time registration and record updates are priced at GH₵310.00, while a card replacement costs GH₵420.00. For those seeking both a record update and card replacement, the fee is GH₵355.00, and nationality updates are set at GH₵365.00.
The NIA also reiterated that first-time issuance of the Ghana Card remains free at district offices, where applicants can also replace a lost or damaged card for GH₵125.00.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has announced the approved fees for Ghana Card services at premium centres across the country.
In a notice shared on its official Facebook page on Tuesday, February 4, the NIA outlined the charges for various services, including first-time registration, card replacement, and record updates.
According to the statement, first-time registration and record updates will each cost GH₵310.00. A card replacement will be charged at GH₵420.00, while individuals seeking both a record update and a card replacement simultaneously will pay GH₵355.00. Additionally, nationality updates will cost GH₵365.00.
The NIA clarified that these fees apply exclusively to designated premium centres and have been in effect since May 2024. However, first-time issuance of the Ghana Card remains free for all applicants at district offices. Those opting to register at premium centres must pay the required fees.
For applicants visiting district offices, the NIA announced that replacing a lost or damaged card will cost GH₵125.00, while first-time applications at these offices remain free of charge.
The Ghana Card serves as the official national identification document for Ghanaians both locally and abroad. It verifies an individual’s identity, citizenship, and residency using biometric data for secure authentication.
Since its introduction, the Ghana Card has become essential for accessing government services, banking, healthcare, and voting. To date, over 18 million Ghanaians have been registered under the system.
In 2024, the NIA expanded registration services to Ghanaians living abroad, with the first overseas Ghana Card issued in Ottawa, Canada.
Divisional Executives Council of the Public Services Workers Union of the Trades Union Congress (TUC)Ghana, National Identification Authority (NIA) Division, has announced an industrial strike effective today, October 7.
A notice issued by the aggrieved workers on Sunday, October 6, indicates that the strike is a result of the employer’s failure to implement their newly approved scheme of service.
The aggrieved workers say they will not call off their industrial action until the agreed scheme of service is implemented.
“After exhaustive patience and repeated demands, we regret to inform you that your unacceptable failure to operationalise the newly approved Scheme of Service (SoS) has compelled us to take this decisive action beginning Monday, October 7, 2024.
And by extension, all our members will not avail ourselves to work beginning [Monday] until the scheme of service is fully operationalised.”
The workers say the failure to implement the agreed scheme of service is a blatant breach of trust and a direct attack on the well-being of all members.
“The SoS, which was painstakingly approved by PSC within two weeks in record history in the month of March, remains a vital tool for our collective survival and progress.
Management’sobstinate refusal to implement this critical document is a blatant betrayal of trust and a direct attack on our well-being.”
The Corporate Affairs Officer of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Theodie Addo-Dankwa, revealed that minors taking part in the upcomingGhana Card Registration on October 7, 2024, will be required to present either a valid passport, birth certificate, or, where applicable, a certificate of acquired citizenship.
During a Stakeholder Engagement in Accra on September 26, 2024, focusing on the registration of Ghanaians aged 6 to 14 years, she mentioned that in the absence of these documents, the child would have to go through a vouching process.
“The vouching process allows for the biological parents, the legal guardian of the child, a relative which includes an auntie or grandparents.
It must be noted that all these categories of persons must be above 18 years of sound mind and must be Ghanaian and equally possess their Ghana Card,” she explained.
She stated that at the registration centres, essential information about the minors taking part in the exercise would be required.
“At the registration centre, the questions that will be asked will be the full name of the child, date of birth, place of birth of the child, nationality and hometown.
A form will be signed by the person who is representing the child. The Ghana Card of that person will be equally taken,” she noted.
The government’s initiative to register minors aims to include every citizen in the national identification system, enhancing both the accuracy and accessibility of identification for all.
During the first phase, the registration process will be conducted in specific schools across different districts, streamlining the enrolment process foreligible children.
This shift comes as part of a broader strategy to extend its registration services to Ghanaians living overseas and improve the skills of its personnel.
Executive Secretary of the NIA, Professor Kenneth Attafuah, revealed this decision during a session with the Governance and Assurance Committee of Parliament on August 28, 2024.
He explained that the authority’s choice of virtual training stems from fears that employees sent to Euro-American countries might choose to remain there rather than return to Ghana.
“This was part of the rationale of the background that informed the framers of NIA law to require that it should be Ghanaian missionary staff who should undertake the registration of Ghanaians abroad. We don’t want to take people abroad and suffer casualties.
Abroad includes Togo, La Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali, and I doubt that we would be losing Ghanaians if we take them there. The risk is those places that we all know of the Euro-American countries,” he said.
Professor Kenneth emphasised, “Mr Chairman, we intend to be truthful to this country and to help this country to retain its human resource base.”
This move comes against a backdrop of increasing “brain drain,” where Ghanaians sent abroad for government-sponsored assignments or studies have opted to stay in those countries for better opportunities.
Recently, a video surfaced of aGhanaian nurse enroute to Barbados, expressing her intent to remain abroad, citing dissatisfaction with conditions back home.
Staff of the National Identification Authority (NIA) are hopeful as they prepare for a crucial meeting with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) scheduled for today, June 14. The meeting aims to address their conditions of service.
Earlier, the union had launched a strike, which was halted following a directive from the National Labour Commission, allowing negotiations to proceed.
The strike had significantly disrupted operations at various NIA centres, affecting many individuals seeking services.
In an interview with Citi News, Kwabena Adu Kyeremeh, the secretary of the NIA staff, hinted that they might resort to another strike if today’s meeting fails to produce satisfactory outcomes.
“It is reasonable and fair compared to what our colleagues in other public or government institutions are receiving comparing their degrees or certificates that we are holding from masters level and first degree and diploma up to SSCE, and then the number of years of experience against what is happening in NIA, then we are going to be okay.
“We are expecting the government to come home with a very good offer. Then we will also accept it in the interest of Mother Ghana. And they [the aggrieved staff] have also indicated to the general public that if today, they are not successful, they will declare the strike on our behalf.”
The National Identification Authority (NIA) office in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region has announced plans to conduct a registration exercise for Ghanaian children aged six to 14 years.
According to the office, this exercise is mandated by law and is essential to ensure that all children within this age group are registered in the national identity database.
In a statement issued by Amen Agbenorhevi, the Head of the Akatsi South Municipal NIA, and distributed to the Ghana News Agency, it was emphasized that this initiative would facilitate children’s access to various national programs and services.
The statement further outlined that a registration team would visit different schools to carry out the registration, with the specific date yet to be determined.
“This registration exercise is parent/ guardian-child centered. Every parent/ guardian needs to be present with their child during the registration process,” it said.
According to the statement, guardians are pivotal in supplying the requisite information and documentation needed for a successful registration; therefore, their presence is imperative when the process commences.
It emphasized that parents/guardians ought to present the original birth certificates of their children, valid Ghanaian passports, and a child’s Certificate of Acquired Citizenship, along with other necessary documents for registration.
However, in cases where the child lacks any of the required documents, the Oath of Identity Form of the guardian will be utilized.
“We plead for the support and cooperation of all stakeholders, including parents, guardians, school authorities, and community leaders, to assist in this important exercise,” it said.
The statement underscored the importance of public cooperation in ensuring the registration of all eligible children.
“We count on your usual cooperation to make this registration exercise a success,” it said.
Divisional Executives Council of the Public Services Workers Union of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Ghana, representing the National Identification Authority (NIA) Division, has announced the suspension of its indefinite strike, which began on June 10, 2024.
This decision to halt the strike comes as the union prepares for crucial discussions with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) scheduled for Friday, June 14, 2024.
The suspension is the result of interventions from several key stakeholders, including an appeal from the Minister for National Security and an invitation from the FWSC to return to the negotiation table.
Additional factors include advice from the union’s parent body, in light of a recent National Labour Commission (NLC) ruling, and the expressed concerns of the Ghanaian public.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, June 12, the Divisional Executives Council noted that the FWSC had assured them of its commitment to engaging in good faith during the upcoming discussions.
“However, this gesture will be put to the test on Friday, June 14, 2024. Members are therefore assured that, if, at the close of negotiations on Friday, the government fails to demonstrate true faith by granting us Institution Specific Allowances, we would not be hesitant to return to our industrial action; this must be noted,” it added.
The council therefore appealed to its members to report to work on Thursday,June 10, 2024.
“We appreciate your unprecedented massive solidarity and compliance following the declaration of the strike action. The action has really made a tremendous impact.
However, we anticipate favourable outcomes within the shortest possible time.”
It also cautioned the FWSC to demonstrate good faith as it gets back to the negotiation table in the interest of industrial harmony.
Starting today, Monday, June 10, 2024, the Divisional Executive Council of the Public Services Workers’ Union (PSWU) within the National Identification Authority (NIA) is set to commence an indefinite strike.
This decision comes after a council meeting held on May 23, where members unanimously agreed to proceed with the strike action.
Originally scheduled to begin on March 24, the strike was postponed due to the intervention of the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations.
In a statement dated June 9, the union said, “the condition for the deferment of the strike action was that the government, represented by the FWSC, and the management of NIA facilitate the negotiation and implementation of better conditions of service for staff of the NIA among others. However, the government has not shown good faith in the negotiation process.”
The statement, signed by its Council Secretary, Kwabena Adu Kyeremeh and Council Chairman, Francis Bangfudeme Nyuzaghi, further noted that, “the Divisional Executive Council has therefore resolved to declare this indefinite strike in response to the heightened agitation of our members on the need to embark on an industrial action to drum home our poor and demeaning conditions of service”.
The PSWU has announced the indefinite suspension of all services provided by its members at NIA District offices, Regional offices, Headquarters, and premium centers, effective Monday, June 10, 2024, until further notice, in line with its decision.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has issued a strong warning to the National Identification Authority (NIA) regarding the registration of illegal voters in Pusiga during the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.
The party asserts that such actions are against the country’s best interests and has promised to vehemently oppose any such attempts.
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the NDC’s Director of Elections and IT, expressed these concerns in a Facebook post on Tuesday, May 21.
He questioned the timing and location of the NIA’s current registration activities, particularly targeting border areas during the limited voter registration period.
In his post, Dr. Boamah challenged the rationale behind the NIA’s decision to register individuals at the borders concurrently with the voter registration exercise. He suggested that this move could be politically motivated and aimed at unfairly influencing the voter rolls.
“Stop this National Identification Authority’s last-minute manoeuvre to aid illegal voter registration in Pusiga. The National Identification Authority (NIA), headed by Bawumia’s bosom friend Ken Attafuah, has strangely chosen this voter registration period to embark on a special pilot program to issue Ghanacards to ‘Ghanaians living along the borders of Ghana and Burkina Faso in Pusiga’.”
The former Communications Minister called on the NIA to uphold fairness and impartiality in its operations as a state agency.
He emphasized that the NIA should not show favoritism toward any political party, ensuring that its activities do not compromise the integrity of the voter registration process.
The adjustments are in accordance with the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2481) passed by Parliament in February 2024.
The new rates apply to three main areas of Ghana Card services: First Time Registration, Replacement of Cards, and Personal Information Update Service.
FIRST TIME REGISTRATION
First-Time Registration – NIA District Office: Free
Record Update with replacement of card – ECOWAS sub-region: US$27.50
Record Update with replacement of card – Rest of Africa: US$37.50
Record Update with replacement of card – Countries outside Africa: US$57.50
The Ghana Card is a secure and multi-purpose card used for verifying and authenticating electronic and physical transactions in both public and private services. It establishes the biometric identity of the holder.
The registration is open to three categories of people: all Ghanaian citizens by birth (descent), registration, or naturalization aged zero years and above currently residing in Ghana; all Ghanaian citizens living abroad; and foreign nationals legally or permanently resident in Ghana.
This discovery has sparked debates about the NIA’s competence and its ability to defend Ghana’s interests in the Ghana Card Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Margins Group.
The issue was brought to light by an X user, Sharudeen Yahya, who tagged the Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons.
Mr Simons raised concerns about the NIA’s lack of originality and its reliance on copied content. He argued that the real problem lies not in the act of plagiarism itself but in the NIA’s apparent incompetence and disregard for Ghana’s interests.
1/ Finally! De-zombification? Ghana's NIA removes webpages copied verbatim from UAE agency websites because it couldn't even bother to create its own. The real issue isn't plagiarism. It is that the NIA isn't fit to defend Ghana's interest in the Ghana Card PPP with Margins. https://t.co/2VV0Bbpplc
Earlier, Mr Simons alleged that Ghana’s National Identification System, also known as the “Ghana Card” is owned by a company called Margins Group and not the government of Ghana.
He is of the view that the National Identification Authority (NIA) is no longer useful, describing it as a “zombie” as “it lacks the capacity to develop specifications and to exercise serious oversight.”
He made this claim in an article in which he provided an extensive analysis of his research.
“Ghana Card’s main technology asset base belongs to Margins Group, not the government of Ghana,” he wrote.
According to him, this makes it impossible for the government to save money by using smart procurement to obtain the printed cards, biometric devices, and system integrations.
“It must get everything from Margins alone. Ghana Card, as a system, cannot be operated without Margins, so the idea that the government “owns” the data is meaningless.”
Mr Simons noted that due to Margins Group’s ownership of the Ghana Card, each unit costs Ghana nearly 20 times what a similar smartcard costs Rwanda.
“The Ghana Card Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement between NIA was supposed to be cost-neutral to the government. It was to pay a startup contribution of $124 million and then recoup over time as revenues come in. However, the “revenues” are a sham since they come from the same government,” he added.
He asserts that by 2033, the Ghana card system would have generated revenue of $1.44 billion. However, this money, he said will be paid to Margins Group.
“Government of Ghana is therefore going to end up paying up all the $1.44 billion revenues the system is designed to generate by 2033, and Margins will get virtually all of the money.”
1/ Most Ghanaians think that Ghana Card is the greatest thing since sliced bread. They don't know that they are being ripped off. The lack of awareness is a product of "State Enchantment". This essay is the first attempt to de-hypnotise the masses.https://t.co/cbUVQpTRvU
The National Identification System (NIS), project contract is being executed under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement between NIA and Identity Management Systems (IMS), a subsidiary of the Margins Group of companies.
The cost of the project is jointly shared by the parties. NIA’s component of the contract sum is $124 million, which caters for operations in both Ghana and abroad to register and issue smart, biometric, chip-embedded ID cards to all Ghanaians aged 15 years and over, and 2-dimentional bar code cards to all Ghanaians under 15 years old. The cost of the project to IMS is $169 million. All subsequent costs will be covered by proceeds from the project over the contract term of 15 years.
Unlike other traditional contracts, IMS will not be given any money by the Government of Ghana.
It will be recalled that the Minority in Parliament issued a press statement on 10 June 2018 in which it admitted to having received documents from NIA which it subsequently approved, showing the total life cost of the project over 15 years as $1.2bn with tax exemption of $176million. It is baffling that the NIA will be accused of bloating the contract sum which it presented to all members of Parliament. th
It must be emphasised that the cost per smart card issued to Ghanaians 15years and above is $5.40, while the cost per 2D bar code card issued to Ghanaians under 15years is $1.50.
It is factually not correct that nationals of India are issued with a biometric ID card. What India issues to its nationals is merely a Personal Identification Number; India does not provide its citizens with any form of identity cards whatsoever.
The closest national ID cards that can be compared to the Ghana Card, in terms of their physical characteristics and technical functionalities, are those of Rwanda and Nigeria. The Rwandan national ID card is a multipurpose card with a 64-kilobyte chip which contains the bearer’s passport, driving licence and health insurance information. The Ghana Card has a 148-kilobyte capacity chip and greater functionalities than the Rwandan card. The Ghana Card also has 14 applets, and far transcends Rwanda’s, and it also has a passport for travel within West Africa. There are also three international ID profiles on the Ghana Card. Information from other data silos, such as the DVLA, NHIA, SSNIT and GIS may be incorporated onto the Ghana card.
The Rwandan biometric ID card will be optionally available at a cost of $18.17 while the Ghana card costs $5.40, and is issued free of charge to Ghanaian citizens in Ghana.
The NIA-IMS contract costs have undergone Value-For-Money (VFM) audits by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) and have also been thoroughly assessed by the Public Investments Division of the Ministry of Finance. The contract has also been reviewed by the Attorney-General’s Department and the Legal Unit of the Ministry of Finance. In addition, the contract has been reviewed and given approval by the Public Private Partnership Approval Committee (PPPAC) of the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Economic Management Team of Government. It has also received Cabinet approval.
Copies of the draft Contract were distributed to all 275 members of Parliament, and appropriate waivers for import duty exemptions were also granted by Parliament prior to the contract being executed by the parties in April 2018.
Further information on the NIS project could be found on NIA’s website www.nia.gov.gh
Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, has alleged that Ghana’s National Identification System, also known as the “Ghana Card” is owned by a company called Margins Group and not the government of Ghana.
He made this claim in an article in which he provided an extensive analysis of his research.
“Ghana Card’s main technology asset base belongs to Margins Group, not the government of Ghana,” he wrote.
According to him, this makes it impossible for the government to save money by using smart procurement to obtain the printed cards, biometric devices, and system integrations.
“It must get everything from Margins alone. Ghana Card, as a system, cannot be operated without Margins, so the idea that the government “owns” the data is meaningless.”
Mr Simons noted that due to Margins Group’s ownership of the Ghana Card, each unit costs Ghana nearly 20 times what a similar smartcard costs Rwanda.
“The Ghana Card Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement between NIA was supposed to be cost-neutral to the government. It was to pay a startup contribution of $124 million and then recoup over time as revenues come in. However, the “revenues” are a sham since they come from the same government,” he added.
He asserts that by 2033, the Ghana card system would have generated revenue of $1.44 billion. However, this money, he said will be paid to Margins Group.
“Government of Ghana is therefore going to end up paying up all the $1.44 billion revenues the system is designed to generate by 2033, and Margins will get virtually all of the money.”
He is of the view that the National Identification Authority (NIA) is no longer useful, describing it as a “zombie” as “it lacks the capacity to develop specifications and to exercise serious oversight.”
1/ Most Ghanaians think that Ghana Card is the greatest thing since sliced bread. They don't know that they are being ripped off. The lack of awareness is a product of "State Enchantment". This essay is the first attempt to de-hypnotise the masses.https://t.co/cbUVQpTRvU
The National Identification System (NIS), project contract is being executed under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement between NIA and Identity Management Systems (IMS), a subsidiary of the Margins Group of companies.
The cost of the project is jointly shared by the parties. NIA’s component of the contract sum is $124 million, which caters for operations in both Ghana and abroad to register and issue smart, biometric, chip-embedded ID cards to all Ghanaians aged 15 years and over, and 2-dimentional bar code cards to all Ghanaians under 15 years old. The cost of the project to IMS is $169 million. All subsequent costs will be covered by proceeds from the project over the contract term of 15 years.
Unlike other traditional contracts, IMS will not be given any money by the Government of Ghana.
It will be recalled that the Minority in Parliament issued a press statement on 10 June 2018 in which it admitted to having received documents from NIA which it subsequently approved, showing the total life cost of the project over 15 years as $1.2bn with tax exemption of $176million. It is baffling that the NIA will be accused of bloating the contract sum which it presented to all members of Parliament. th
It must be emphasised that the cost per smart card issued to Ghanaians 15years and above is $5.40, while the cost per 2D bar code card issued to Ghanaians under 15years is $1.50.
It is factually not correct that nationals of India are issued with a biometric ID card. What India issues to its nationals is merely a Personal Identification Number; India does not provide its citizens with any form of identity cards whatsoever.
The closest national ID cards that can be compared to the Ghana Card, in terms of their physical characteristics and technical functionalities, are those of Rwanda and Nigeria. The Rwandan national ID card is a multipurpose card with a 64-kilobyte chip which contains the bearer’s passport, driving licence and health insurance information. The Ghana Card has a 148-kilobyte capacity chip and greater functionalities than the Rwandan card. The Ghana Card also has 14 applets, and far transcends Rwanda’s, and it also has a passport for travel within West Africa. There are also three international ID profiles on the Ghana Card. Information from other data silos, such as the DVLA, NHIA, SSNIT and GIS may be incorporated onto the Ghana card.
The Rwandan biometric ID card will be optionally available at a cost of $18.17 while the Ghana card costs $5.40, and is issued free of charge to Ghanaian citizens in Ghana.
The NIA-IMS contract costs have undergone Value-For-Money (VFM) audits by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) and have also been thoroughly assessed by the Public Investments Division of the Ministry of Finance. The contract has also been reviewed by the Attorney-General’s Department and the Legal Unit of the Ministry of Finance. In addition, the contract has been reviewed and given approval by the Public Private Partnership Approval Committee (PPPAC) of the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Economic Management Team of Government. It has also received Cabinet approval.
Copies of the draft Contract were distributed to all 275 members of Parliament, and appropriate waivers for import duty exemptions were also granted by Parliament prior to the contract being executed by the parties in April 2018.
Further information on the NIS project could be found on NIA’s website www.nia.gov.gh
Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2024 election, John Dramani Mahama, is advocating for stakeholders in the electoral process to be granted access to monitor the operations of the National Identification Authority (NIA).
He asserts that this measure would establish effective checks and balances, crucial for preventing fraud and exploitation of the system, especially amid discussions proposing the Ghana Card as the sole identification document for general elections.
Mr. Mahama conveyed this stance during a workshop for the minority caucus in parliament held at the Volta Serene Hotel in Ho, the capital of the Volta Region.
“We demand that the process must necessarily include a system that enables all political parties and relevant stakeholders to possess the capacity to monitor to avoid fraud and exploitation to the undue advantage of any of the political stakeholders,” he said.
He reiterated the NDC’s opposition to the proposed utilization of the Ghana Card in the forthcoming general election, citing concerns that the National Identification Authority (NIA) is not adequately prepared to handle such a significant responsibility.
The former president elucidated that the Authority has not completed the registration of all eligible individuals, and furthermore, a considerable number of the cards issued have not been distributed to applicants nationwide.
“The Ghana card is a relatively new feature of our national life and its merit in the scheme of things. At the moment, it is being blemished more as a political tool around in all manners fashioned towards elections.”
“There is a need to allow sufficient time for its full integration into our way of life before this kind of doubtful excuses of all other legitimately acquired credible and time-tested forms of identification are implemented.”
“Until full and nearly total coverage is achieved in the rollout of the Ghana Card, room must be made for those who are yet to be served to exercise their democratic right of voting. They cannot be excused from the voter’s register due to no fault of theirs”, Mr Mahama argued.
Parliament has instructed the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Kenneth Attafuah, to reimburse an amount exceeding GHc98,000 deducted from the Authority’s account as a penalty for the delayed transfer of Social Security and National Insurance Trust () contributions.
In response to the NIA’s failure to promptly remit SSNIT contributions, the penalty was covered using the Authority’s funds.
In alignment with the Auditor General’s recommendation, the Public Accounts Committee has confirmed that Professor Ken Attafuah and the financial controller should be surcharged with the cost of the penalty.
During a session before the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, February 7, the Executive Secretary of the NIA was given a one-month deadline to repay the specified amount.
Parliament has instructed the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof. Kenneth Attafuah, to reimburse over GHc98,000 deducted from the Authority’s account as a penalty for delayed transfer of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions.
Due to the NIA’s failure to promptly remit SSNIT contributions, the penalty was covered using the Authority’s funds.
The Public Accounts Committee, concurring with the Auditor General’s recommendation, has affirmed that Prof. Ken Attafuah and the financial controller should be held responsible for the penalty’s cost.
During his appearance before the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, February 7, the Executive Secretary of the NIA was given a one-month deadline to reimburse the amount.
“The recommendation is that you should refund the money, the money should be refunded from the Chief Executive and Financial Controller. You have come to explain why you did not pay the money you withheld to SSNIT but the committee will not accept your explanation.
“So the recommendation of the Auditor General still holds, the Chief Executive and the Financial Controller should go and refund the money to the recovery account of the auditor general and this should be done in one month,” Chairman James Klutse Avedzi said.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has officially confirmed that approximately 191 financial institutions, including Universal Banks, Rural Banks, and Savings and Loan companies, have successfully integrated into its data system.
In an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, February 2, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Kenneth Attafuah, revealed that these institutions have seamlessly connected to the Authority’s system.
This integration, he emphasized, streamlines the process of identity verification for clients by financial entities, enabling smooth fund transfers from bank accounts to mobile money wallets.
The disclosure comes in response to public concerns about fees associated with transferring money between bank accounts and mobile money wallets with identical details.
Head of the Ghana Association of Bankers, John Awuah, attributed these fees to inconsistencies in Ghana Card details between mobile money (MoMo) and bank accounts. He suggested that such discrepancies trigger the system to treat individuals differently, resulting in the application of charges.
Contrary to this, Prof. Attafuah stressed that the shared information includes vital details such as names, birth dates, gender, and nationality, leaving no room for inconsistency.
In the interview with sit-in host Caleb Kudah, Prof. Attafuah specifically mentioned, “I can tell you that the Bank of Ghana, all 24 universal banks in the country, 145 rural banks in Ghana some savings and loans companies, about eight of them and some centres, approximately 14 have been onboarded unto the NIA’s personal verification system platform enabling these institutions to verify the identities of persons who transact business for them in real-time.”
He further elaborated that “as agreed with their regulator that is the Central Bank, we give them personal information that a client is required to give for KYC [Know-your-customer] and in fulfilment of the bank’s anti-money laundering rule. So the personal information that we give includes the surname, the first name, the previous name, date of birth, gender, nationality, residential address, digital address code and telephone number,” Prof Attafuah stated.
He further explained that the NIA, in agreement with the Central Bank, provides personal information necessary for Know-Your-Customer (KYC) compliance and anti-money laundering rules. This information includes surname, first name, previous name, date of birth, gender, nationality, residential address, digital address code, and telephone number.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has refuted claims made by banks that issues with the Ghana Card are responsible for identification challenges leading to unauthorized charges on money transfers between personal bank accounts and mobile money wallets.
Head of the Ghana Association of Bankers, John Awuah, had attributed the fees to inconsistencies in Ghana Card details between mobile money (MoMo) and bank accounts, suggesting that these discrepancies trigger the system to treat individuals differently and apply charges.
However, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Kenneth Attafuah, firmly rejected these claims. In an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show, Prof Attafuah highlighted the successful completion of over 120 million identity verifications since 2021, indicating the effectiveness of the Ghana Card.
“These challenges have absolutely nothing to do with the NIA. I must make that very clear. We have since January 2021 conducted over 120 million verifications without a single hitch. So it must be made clear that once a bank is onboarding, all efforts to verify identities using the Ghana card lie with the bank, not the NIA.
“The infrastructure has been provided to the bank so all they need to do is to establish rules with the staff in the bank to verify identity for every transaction. That is what the law requires.”
He further emphasized that the law mandates the provision of the Ghana Card wherever identification is required, absolving the NIA of any blame in the matter.
“Whether they do this or not is another matter but the law says that wherever identification requires to be established the Ghana card shall be required or produced,” he said.
Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Clement Apaak, has alleged that there is growing aversion among government appointees of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) following former President John Dramani Mahama’s call for a review of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
Public Sector workers without Ghana Card to face delisting on March 5
The Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) has declared an uncompromising measure, revealing plans to delist public sector workers who do not possess Ghana Card numbers.
This stern action includes the freezing of salaries for affected individuals, with the implementation set to commence on March 5, 2024. The announcement marks a significant step towards reinforcing the importance of Ghana Card compliance within the public sector.
He made these remarks during an event in Accra where the linking of NIA data to the CAGD payroll was officially announced.
Controller and Accountant-General Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompen stated that this initiative aims to eradicate phantom entries from the government’s payroll.
“With the effect of March 24, this year, all employees without Ghana Card face the risk of being not paid on the government payroll,” Mr Kwaning-Bosompen explained.
On the back of this, the CAGD boss urged staff and members to register for their Ghana Cards at any of the NIA offices nationwide.
He also clarified that the new modality “is just there to enhance all these controls and make it possible for us to have a credible database.”
For him, this “linkage between the national payroll and NIA database has not come to replace existing payroll controls and protocols.”
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NIA), Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, has expressed support for the feasibility of the 24-hour economy proposal made by former President John Dramani Mahama.
Contrary to assertions claiming the idea is unworkable, Dr Okoe-Boye stated that while the concept is not new and is already being practiced to some extent in the country, enhancing it, as suggested by Mahama, is commendable.
During a panel discussion on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on November 30, 2023, Dr Okoe-Boye emphasized that the focus should be on finding ways to increase the percentage of businesses operating around the clock.
“I’m not the kind who would say that a policy is not possible… I don’t walk in that realm. Everything that you think of is possible.
“24-hour economy has exited in some form, maybe let’s say it is 1%, anybody that says we can take it to 20% is not dreaming – it is possible. But it is the detail that will show how fast you move… it is the details that would bring confidence in the practicality of the proposal being made. We have some percent of night activity, every government project is supposed to improve the percent,” he added.
Background:
Former President John Dramani Mahama has announced that a future NDC government will implement measures to promote 24-hour business operations in Ghana.
The proposed policy aims to incentivize businesses to operate continuously, potentially adopting three shifts and creating additional job opportunities for the country’s youth. Mahama emphasized the importance of a robust police service to ensure the safety of businesses during the extended operating hours of the night economy.
“A new NDC administration will work urgently to equip our youth with the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills needed for a sustainable future. We will introduce a 24-hour economy with incentives and tax breaks for manufacturers who will run extra shifts to create more room for employment,” he said.
Some Ghanaians, particularly from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), including the party’s presidential candidate Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, have expressed reservations about the former president’s proposal.
During a campaign event in Nalerigu, in the North East Region, on Monday, November 20, 2023, Vice President Dr Bawumia criticized Mahama’s 24-hour economy policy proposition.
Bawumia argued that the concept of a 24-hour economy was not new to Ghana, suggesting that Mahama might not fully grasp the intricacies of the idea.
“John Mahama says he has a new idea, what is this new idea, he says he wants a 24-hour economy. He doesn’t even understand that promise,” Bawumia told a teeming crowd up north on his first visit since his election as flagbearer.
He listed among others; hospitals, power and fuel service providers and some chop bars, that are already operating 24 hours adding that thanks to digitalization, “you can transfer and receive money 24 hours.”
“He (Mahama) doesn’t understand his own policy, it does not make sense. I want you to note in 2024 we are having a new vision. I will bring new policy and we will transform this country. John Mahama is the past, Dr. Bawumia is the future,” Bawumia added to cheers from the crowd.
He again criticised the proposal at another campaign event calling it “a bad idea”.
“So, what is this 2024-hour economy, that you want to bring? It is purely an issue for any business. If you feel you would make money opening 24 hours; there is no law preventing you from opening.
“But this is one idea that John Mahama thinks he has brought. It is a bad idea. It is an idea that has not been thought through. It is a bad idea,” he said.
In a groundbreaking move, Government has launched the issuance of National Identification numbers (Ghana-Card numbers) to newborns, achieving a successful integration of vital databases.
Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia made the momentous announcement during the 75th Anniversary of the Ghana National College in Cape Coast.
The first Ghana-Card number was issued to a newborn baby after a successful test-run on July 21, 2023.
This transformative initiative ensures that all babies born in Ghana will receive their Ghana-Card numbers and Birth Certificate Identification numbers simultaneously during their visit to Weigh-In facilities, providing lifelong identification from birth.
“The work of integrating the databases has been completed, the full test was done yesterday, and I am happy to say that the first Ghana-Card number for a baby was issued yesterday.
“So, from next month, all babies born in Ghana, once they take them to Weigh-In, they will be issued the Ghana-Card numbers and also get their Birth Certificate Identification numbers at the same time, because the two databases are talking to each other.”
“This is very transformational,” Dr Bawumia said, explaining that they will have these numbers from the time they are babies till they pass away.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) plans to issue cards with biometrics and other data when the children are older and their features are fully formed.
Vice President Bawumia highlighted that this ID issuance at birth plays a crucial role in the government’s digitalization agenda, positioning Ghana to actively participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Furthermore, during his address, Vice President Bawumia encouraged educational institutions to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a means to improve teaching, problem-solving, and critical thinking. He emphasized the potential of AI to bridge the gap between developed and developing nations, urging the integration of AI into innovative teaching strategies.
The Ghana Card is increasingly becoming the primary source of identity, serving various purposes such as Social Security, Health Insurance, and Tax Identification numbers. With the government’s commitment to staying abreast of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, this initiative marks a significant step towards a digitally empowered and AI-driven future for Ghana’s education and society at large.
The Coalition of Ghanaians Without Ghana Cards (GWiGC) has expressed concerns over the Electoral Commission’s decision to exclusively use theGhana Card for voter registration. They believe this insistence raises suspicions of a potential sinister motive aimed at suppressing the votes of certain Ghanaians.
According to a statement signed by Convening Team, the group said that it is concerned about all the processes involved in this arrangement, calling for a ceasefire from the EC.
The statement, for instance, called for an immediate stop to the ongoing ‘premium express’ registration of National Identification Authority (NIA) cards at a fee across the country.
“The Coalition has also become aware of a rather surprising ongoing silent registration of Ghana Card at various regional offices of the National Identification Authority (NIA) under the operational name ‘premium express” where ordinary Ghanaians are required to pay an amount of two hundred and eighty Ghana cedis (Ghc280) apart from having to travel from various parts of a particular region to its regional capital.
“In fact, what is more worrying is that Ghanaians who even make efforts to move to district offices of NIA seeking to register are unable to register with several excuses from officials including network challenges and lack of printing cards among other flimsy excuses. Clearly, the commercialisation of the Ghana card acquisition is given a premium than its national use as we are made to believe,” the statement said.
It also said that should the NIA and the EC go ahead with its insistence that the Ghana Card becomes the sole document for elections, it would disenfranchise a lot of citizens and as such, that move should be re-looked at.
“It’s important to note that theElectoral Commission ‘s unpopular position to make Ghana Card a sole document for registration or acquisition of a voter register means a huge number of Ghanaians will not be able to register and vote in total contravention of the provisions as contained in Ghana’s 1992 Republican Constitution.
“… That the premium registration exercise ongoing by the NIA at a commercial value of Ghs280 should be stopped immediately due to the already burdened harsh economic challenges faced by Ghanaians,” it added.
Read the full statement, dated Thursday, July 20, 2023, below:
20/07/2023
PRESS STATEMENT:
For Immediate Release.
EC’s insistence on the use of ECOWAS Travel Certificate (Ghana Card) as the sole source document for voter registration is politically dangerous and must be stopped.
The Coalition of Ghanaians Without Ghana Card (GWiGC) has taken note of the ongoing efforts by the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana to review the existing Constitutional Instrument (CI) particularly portions pertaining to registration of voters.
The Coalition has also become aware of a rather surprising ongoing silent registration of Ghana Card at various regional offices of the National Identification Authority (NIA) under the operational name “premium express” where ordinary Ghanaians are required to pay an amount of two hundred and eighty Ghana cedis (Ghc280) apart from having to travel from various parts of a particular region to its regional capital.
In fact, what is more worrying is that Ghanaians who even make efforts to move to district offices of NIA seeking to register are unable to register with several excuses from officials including network challenges and lack of printing cards among other flimsy excuses.
Clearly, the commercialisation of the Ghana card acquisition is given a premium than its national use as we are made to believe.
It is worth noting that the entrenched position taken by the Electoral Commission and the National Identification Authority further reinforces our suspicion of a sinister move to suppress votes of some Ghanaians for whatever reason.
For the purposes of clarity, we therefore pose the following questions to the NIA and EC to answer;
1. Is it correct that the so-called Ghana card is an ECOWAS travelling certificate intended for use within the ECOWAS Sub-region? If yes, why is it being pushed down the throats of Ghanaians as a form of identification for elections in Ghana?
2. What becomes of the poor Ghanaian who do not have money to register for the card?
3. What becomes of the people leaving in the hither lands and do not have access to regional capitals for the registration exercise?
It’s important to note that the Electoral Commission’s unpopular position to make Ghana Card a sole document for registration or acquisition of a voter register means a huge number of Ghanaians will not be able to register and vote in total contravention of the provisions as contained in Ghana’s 1992 Republican Constitution.
We wish to strongly state that though the NIA law requires mass registration, you will recall that the period within which such mass registration was organised, we were in a COVID-19 pandemic and due to government’s restrictions, it was practically impossible for all Ghanaians to participate in the registration exercise.
In line with the above, the Coalition of Ghanaians Without Ghana Card is calling for the following reviews on behalf of the Ghanaian people;
1. That having taken cognisance of the numerous challenges regarding the acquisition of the Ghana Card, it must not be made as the sole source document for the voter registration card;
2.That the premium registration exercise ongoing by the NIA at a commercial value of Ghs280 should be stopped immediately due to the already burdened harsh economic challenges faced by Ghanaians;
3. That Government, NIA should make provisions to enable Ghanaians access Ghana card registration through a nationwide mass registration at various district levels minimum and further decentralized to electoral area registrations if possible.
4. We are calling for an all-inclusive stakeholder discussions by NIA to make its services more progressive, accessible and affordable to all Ghanaians at all times.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has provided assurance that its systems are not designed to favor any specific political party, including the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The Electoral Commission (EC) has proposed a constitutional amendment that would make the Ghana Card the sole document for confirming nationality and age during voter registration for the 2024 elections. However, this proposal has faced opposition from the minority group in Parliament, who express concerns about potential disenfranchisement of citizens.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show, Attafuah stated that it would be a significant embarrassment not to utilize the Ghana Card for the upcoming general election.
“Our processes is politically neutral, it cannot benefit a particular party, weather it is National Democratic Congress or New Patriotic Party and NDC has nothing to fear about the Ghana Card and our processes.
“We are not engineering anything to the detriment of NDC and we cannot engineer anything to the benefit of the NPP, we will not do that, we are not designed to do that, the system is technical, its is neutral,” the NIA boss added.
Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof. Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, has made it known that more than 800,000 printed national identification cards (Ghana Cards) are still awaiting collection.
To facilitate the retrieval of these IDs, the NIA has established 276 district offices, each corresponding to a constituency, as well as 16 regional offices.
Prof. Attafuah urges individuals who have undergone registration but have not yet received their Ghana Cards to visit the nearest office to obtain their IDs.
This situation arises at a time when numerous individuals attribute their inability to participate in the recent SIM card re-registration process to the lack of a Ghana Card, which is the sole accepted national ID for the exercise. As a consequence, many mobile phone users have had their numbers blocked.
Meanwhile, the NIA reports that it has registered a total of 17.4 million individuals aged 15 and above since 2019, out of a population of 31 million. Among this number, 16.3 million people have received their Ghana Cards. It is estimated that approximately 2.5 million individuals have yet to be registered and issued their identification cards.
The Authority is hoping to undertake a mop-up exercise to register the remaining citizens over a three-month period.
For those aged 0 to 15 years, the Authority said it is working with the Births and Deaths Registry and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to register and provide new-borns with their unique identity numbers linked to that of their parents.
But for children aged 6 to 14 years, a partnership arrangement has been made with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to begin registering and issuing them their Ghana Cards.
Prof. Attafuah revealed this during a ceremony to register some 50 cured lepers at the Weija Leprosarium, and intimated that no Ghanaian will be left behind in the registration of Ghana Cards.
It is against this background that he said efforts are being made to go around the country to also register inmates and patients of specialised institutions, including homes for cured lepers and hospitals among others.
Despite their disability that prevented cured lepers from joining the mass registration exercise, Prof. Attafuah explained that the NIA has devised a scheme to capture their biometric data using the facials, irises and ears of those being registered.
“It is an important occasion because it assures the people of this country of our bounding duty to ensure social, economic and political inclusion,” he said.
All Ghanaians per the law establishing the authority, regardless of their social and economic status, must be registered onto the national identity register. To this end, he indicated that the NIA will proceed to register those in prisons as well.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, through whose facilitation the registration was undertaken for the cured lepers, acknowledged the Ghana Card as important for all citizens, as it will be required for many official undertakings in the future.
Because of this, he said, it is required that nobody is left out or denied a chance to be registered. It is in this regard that the opportunity has been created to register the cured lepers, he said.
“This is going to be repeated in other parts of the country,” he assured, adding that for instance the law prescribes some 17 mandatory uses of the Ghana Card – for which reason everyone must be registered by the NIA.
He commended the NIA for being able to register a significant number of Ghanaians, while revealing that usage of the GhanaCard has gone up – with data showing over 120 million identity verification using it.
Head of the Weija Leprosarium, Rt. Rev. Father Andrews Campbell, while welcoming the exercise at the facility also noted the challenges faced in being able to care for those at the Leprosarium.
He entreated the public to continue their assistance to leprosy patients across the country, given the lack of funding. He was very thankful in this regard to Vice President Dr. Bawumia for his keen interest in helping the cured lepers.
Data from the Volta Regional Directorate of the National Identification Authority (NIA) indicates that a staggering 61,771 individuals are yet to collect their Ghana Cards, thereby impeding the effective implementation of various government services and identity verification processes.
Regional Director of the Authority, Mr Samuel Mawuli Dayi, shared this information during a press interaction, stating that the figure pertains to the end of May 2023.
Breaking down the numbers, Mr Dayi noted that Ketu South alone accounts for 10,567 unclaimed cards, followed by Akatsi South and Central Tongu with 7,589 and 7,513 unclaimed cards, respectively.
Additionally, he noted that the Regional Directorate in Ho possesses 845 unclaimed Ghana Cards, while the Akatsi North office holds 908, and Hohoe has 1,266 unclaimed cards.
Mr Dayi highlighted possible reasons for the high number of unclaimed cards, suspecting that some migrants may have undergone registration but have since left the jurisdiction, and others may have passed away.
However, he appealed to members of the public who do not fall under any of the aforementioned categories to collect their processed cards, as the Ghana Card is a permanent identification document.
Meanwhile,the National Identification Authority (NIA) has expanded its premium Ghana Card registration services to five additional regions across the country. Residents in Volta, Bono, Bono East, Northern, and Western North regions can now access enhanced registration facilities to obtain their Ghana Cards.
The premium Ghana Card registration service has proven to be highly convenient for individuals seeking swift acquisition of their national identification cards. In line with its commitment to broaden the coverage and accessibility of this service, the NIA has extended its premium registration facilities to the newly added regions.
A statement issued and signed by the Acting Head of Corporate Affairs, Col. Peter Kwame Ghansah (Rtd.), announced the operation of new hubs alongside the existing premium centres at the NIA and CalBank Head Offices in Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, and Western regions.
Mr Dayi further stated that the premium services in Ho have received an average of 50 daily applicants since the exercise began on June 12, 2023.
He further noted that in the Volta Region, the premium registration services in Ho have seen an average of 50 applicants daily since the commencement of the exercise on June 12, 2023. Mr. Dayi expressed satisfaction with the response from residents in Ho, highlighting the steady influx of individuals seeking premium Ghana Card registration services. This positive trend indicates a strong demand for efficient and expedited registration processes.
He further highlighted that registrants who avail themselves of the premium registration services in Ho have the advantage of receiving their Ghana Cards on the same day, provided they arrive at the office early enough. This expedited process ensures that individuals can obtain their identification cards promptly and without any conflicts in the details.
The NIA has implemented measures to ensure that the registration process is efficient and accurate. In cases where there may be doubts or discrepancies in the information provided by applicants, the NIA relies on supporting documents such as affidavits and gazettes to verify and process the cards. This additional step ensures that the information recorded on the Ghana Cards is reliable and reflects the correct details of the individuals.
The premium registration centres will offer the following fee-based registration services: for first-time registration and issuance of a Ghana Card at GH¢280; replacement of lost, missing, or damaged cards attracts GH¢110; while update of personal records that requires printing of a new card costs GH¢110.
Effective tomorrow Monday, June 12, 2023, the National Identification Authority (NIA) will begin premium registration services in five of its regional offices.
The regions are Bono, Bono East, Western North, Volta and Nothern.
The NIA in a statement said these services at the selected centres would operate in addition to the ones being conducted at NIA headquarters and CalBank head offices in Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, and Western regional offices.
The centres according to the NIA would offer fee-paying services including first-time registration and issuance of Ghana cards (GhC 280), replacement of lost, missing or damaged cards (Ghc110) and update of records that require printing of new cards (Ghc110).
The statement issued by the NIA further indicated that updates of records that will attract the fee include change or correction of the applicant’s name, change or correction of the order of the applicant’s name, correction or addition of the applicant’s name or maiden name, correction of applicant’s date of birth, change or correction of applicant’s nationality, correction of applicant’s gender and change or correction of applicant’s height.
Applicants who would want to request the premium services are to note that the system would be done online and walk-in, the NIA said.
The National Identification Authority(NIA) has extended its premium registration services for the Ghana Card to five regional offices as of Monday, June 12, 2023.
The offices are in the Volta, Bono, Bono East, Northern, and Western North regions.
The NIA in a statement dated June 11, 2023, signed by the acting Head of Corporate Affairs, Col. Peter Kwame Ghansah (Rtd), said these centres will operate in addition to the Premium Centres at the NIA and CalBank Head Offices in Accra, including Ashanti, Eastern, and Western Regional offices.
“The National Identification Authority (NIA) announces for the information of the general public that effective Monday, 12th June 2023, it will offer premium registration services at its Volta, Bono, Bono East, Northern, and Western North Regional offices. These centres will operate in addition to the Premium Centres at the NIA and CalBank Head Offices in Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, and Western Regional offices,” NIA noted in its statement.
The statement further said the premium registration centres will offer fee-based registration services namely first-time registration and issuance of a Ghana Card (GH¢280), replacement of lost, missing, or damaged cards(GH¢110), update of personal records that requires the printing of a new card, (GH¢110).
In addition, the NIA said the update services that will attract fee include Change or correction of applicant’s name, Change or correction of the order of an applicant’s name, Correction or addition of applicant’s previous name or maiden name, Correction of applicant’s date of birth, Change or correction of applicant’s nationality, Correction of applicant’s gender and Change or correction of applicant’s height.
The NIA explained that its premium services will be based on online booking system “and a walk-in system adding that payment of fees for premium services can be done via CalBank Mobile Banking Platform with short code *771#; CalBank Online Mobile App and CalBank branches”.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has announced that it has completed printing the 541,529 backlogs of Ghana cards and are ready for collection.
On February 28, 2023, the NIA assured Members of Parliament that it will print the cards within 11 days.
The expedited printing exercise, which began on 18 March 2023, “came to a smooth end on Monday, 27 March 2023 with all records in backlog printed, the ultimate objective of this exercise was to print records of registered Ghanaians in backlog since July 2022,” a statement issued by the corporate affairs directorate of the NIA said.
According to the NIA “With focus, rigour and coherence in project management and implementation, NIA achieved this feat with a dedicated team of supervisors, assistant technical support officers and assistant technical enrolment officers drawn from its headquarters, regional and district offices. The staff worked fervently for ten continuous days in two shifts — day and night.
“The printed cards, which are now being packaged, will be distributed to NIA’s Regional and District Offices nationwide from today Wednesday, 29 March 2023 to Sunday, 2 April 2023 for issuance to registered applicants,” the statement said.
“All Ghanaians who have registered for their Ghana Cards since July 2022 but are yet to receive them, are assured that effective Wednesday, 5 April 2023, they can visit the District or Regional Offices where they registered for their printed cards to be issued to them.
“The NIA stands committed to serving the public and the nation as whole with respect, dignity, integrity and efficiency as a dedicated and responsible public sector institution,” the statement added.
Start of printing
The NIA, in a press release dated 22 March 2023, announced the commencement of the expedited printing of the backlog of 541,529 records accumulated since July 2022.
“Preparatory works for the expedited printing started on Wednesday, 15th March 2023 and included the configuration of printers, print servers and laminators, as well as the deployment of additional staff from NIA’s regional and district offices to augment the staff capacity at the Head Office,” the 22 March statement said.
“The commencement of the expedited printing follows the payment of GHC100 million by Government of Ghana (GoG) to CalBank PLC, which then caused the release of a quantity of blank cards to NIA on Tuesday, 14 March 2023. The printing of the blank cards is expected to last for 11 days, ending on 29 March 2023,” the Authority further said.
At the end of the exercise, the NIA says it “will make the cards available at its regional and district offices nationwide and announce to the public when the persons who registered for the cards since July 2022 should go to their respective NIA offices for the cards to be issued to them”.
The main printing operations began on Saturday, but the NIA claims that the preliminary work for the expedited printing began on Wednesday, March 15, with the configuration of printers, print servers, and monitors as well as the deployment of additional staff from its regional and district offices to increase staff capacity at the head office.
Printing of the cards was suspended following financial constraints faced by the NIA.
In view of this, more than 3.5 million cards were locked up in a bonded warehouse.
A statement issued by the NIA on March 21, stated, “the National Identification Authority wishes to inform the general public that on Saturday, 18th March 2023, it commenced the expedited printing of the backlog of 541,529 records accumulated since July 2022. The backlog arose from a shortage of blank cards due to financial challenges”.
The NIA noted that the commencement of the printing of cards follows payments of GH₵100 million by government to CalBank PLC.
The printing of the blank cards is expected to last for 11 days, ending on March 29.
“The commencement of the expedited printing follows the payment of GH₵100 million by Government of Ghana (GoG) to CalBank PLC, which then caused the release of a quantity of blank cards to NIA on Tuesday 14th March 2023. The printing of the blank cards is expected to last for 11 days, ending on 29th March 2023,” NIA emphasised in its statement.
The NIA assured to make public announcements and make the cards available at its regional and district offices across the country to be collected by persons who registered since July 2022.
NIA assured, “at the end of the exercise, NIA will make the cards available at its Regional and District Offices nationwide and announce to the public when the persons who registered for the cards since July 2022 should go to their respective NIA offices for the cards to be issued to them”.
A former chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has questioned the commission’s decision to abandon the guarantor system for the ongoing voter registration process.
He stated that the EC’s assertion that the guarantor system was ineffective and the Ghana Card should be the exclusive method of registration was unpersuasive.
According to Dr Afari-Gyan, as far as the National Identification Authority (NIA) allowed the guarantor regime in the registration for the Ghana Card, nothing prevented the EC from doing the same for the voter registration exercise and making that system more robust as it wanted it.
“What prevents the commission from instituting, in the upcoming constitutional instrument (CI), a guarantor regime as robust as or even more robust than the one being used by the NIA for doing the Ghana Card?” he queried.
Guarantor system
In line with Article 11 (7) of the 1992 Constitution, the EC is seeking to lay a CI before Parliament to regulate the continuous voter registration exercise.
Per the article, the CI, which seeks, among other things, to make the Ghana Card the sole identification document for the exercise and the only means for registration, when laid in Parliament, will come into force after 21 sitting days, except the house annuls it by a vote of not less than two-thirds of all Members of Parliament (MPs).
Last month, the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Adukwei Mensa, told Parliament, as part of the pre-laying of the CI, that the Ghana Card as the sole registration document would ensure that only eligible Ghanaians registered as voters.
Such a move, she said, would give the country a credible voter roll and enhance its electoral process.
The EC boss said her outfit jettisoned the guarantor system because it was susceptible to abuse, which affected the credibility of the electoral roll.
“The challenges with the guarantor system are that it opens the door for registered voters or guarantor contractors to guarantee/vouch for persons who are less than 18 years and it allows the guarantors to vouch for foreigners. Such unqualified persons used the door of the guarantor system to try to get onto the register.
“Truth be told, the guarantor system was not the best under any circumstances, but we did not have other options, since a significant number of people did not possess the Ghana Card at the time. Even, then, we had 10 million Ghanaians using the Ghana Card to back their citizenship at the time of registration,” she said.
Criticisms
Dr Afari-Gyan is not the only person to criticise the EC over the proposed CI.
The CI has faced a backlash from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), a civil society organisation, especially concerning the decision by the EC to throw away the guarantor system, which hitherto allowed a registered voter to vouch for the citizenship of another person seeking to register.
The NDC has described the CI as “obnoxious and a threat to the country’s democracy” and directed its MPs not to absent themselves from Parliament to enhance the fight against the proposed law.
For the CDD, the elimination of the guarantor system would make it very difficult for many Ghanaians to register and that would, ultimately, infringe on their constitutional right to vote.
“The current CI 126 allows for a guarantor to guarantee for up to five people; this can be reduced to three,” it said.
Citizenship
Dr Afari-Gyan, who is the longest-serving Chairperson in the history of the EC, further reiterated his criticism of the use of the Ghana Card as the sole source document for the registration exercise.
In a previous statement to the Daily Graphic in August last year, he had said making the Ghana Card the sole identification document would disenfranchise millions of qualified Ghanaians and as such the move by the EC was against electoral inclusivity, fairness and justice.
In his new critique, he said he was not against the use of the Ghana Card and did not also disagree with the EC that the Ghana Card was of great importance and would go a long way to sanitise the electoral roll
“I think that it is grossly unfair and misleading to try to create the impression that the debate over whether or not, as of now, the Ghana Card should be the only basis for a Ghanaian citizen to be registered as a voter revolves wholly around how useful the card is. I have not heard anybody saying that the Ghana Card is not a good thing to have or use,” he said.
According to him, his disagreement was because the EC was gradually making the Ghana Card the only means of citizenship, which is the criterion for one to register as a voter.
It was his contention that the Ghana Card did not bestow citizenship on anyone but rather validated that citizenship; therefore, making the Ghana Card the sole means of registration meant the EC was trying to define those without the card as not citizens of Ghana eligible to vote.
“In my view, as of now, it cannot be reasonably assumed that every Ghanaian of voting age has the Ghana Card, or can get one well ahead of the next elections,” he said.
“In fact, given that even under continuous registration there is a cut-off period, during which time one can register as a voter but cannot vote in the following election, I think it is far too early yet to make a fetish of Ghana Card as the only basis for registering a Ghanaian citizen as a voter,” Dr Afari-Gyan averred.
A lecturer in political science at the University of Ghana, Ransford Gyampo, has pledged not to let theNational Identification Authority(NIA) top hierarchy destabilize the country.
The NIA in a statement called the bluff of the political science lecturer after it criticised its works.
In a counter statement, Professor Gyampo warned, “you guys can tickle yourselves and laugh just in the quest to protect your jobs. But some of us won’t allow you to plunge Ghana into chaos and flee the country with your Diplomatic or Serviced Passports”.
He added, “I never thought I was this big or important to deserve such an attention from a whole institution that is supposed to be busy focusing on registering people it has been deficient in registering, culminating in long queues, payment of money, and near stampedes at the NIA headquarters”.
He charged NIA’s top officials to work in the interest of the country.
“Professors must analyse things from a holistic viewpoint. There are two sides to every coin and as we seek to build Ghana, our efforts must be aimed at protecting the national interest and not to tout one’s supposed achievements that are highly contentious,” Professor Gyampo advised.
Read Professor Gyampo’s full statement
Dear NIA, I saw a very formal statement of response from your outfit to my banter with Prof Attafuah on Newsfile two weeks ago. I never thought I was this big or important to deserve such an attention from a whole institution that is supposed to be busy focusing on registering people it has been deficient in registering, culminating in long queues, payment of money, and near stampedes at the NIA headquarters.
NIA, your responses are shrouded in half-truths and this is what is referred to as propaganda. You guys can tickle yourselves and laugh just in the quest to protect your jobs. But some of us won’t allow you to plunge Ghana into chaos and flee the country with your Diplomatic or Serviced Passports.
Kindly engage the leaders of the opposition parties again and do not live in the past. The comments of Jerry Rawlings and co, were given in the past and no one has qualms with the relevance of Ghana Card. Indeed, long before Prof Ken Attafuah got his appointment, some of us had argued for the need for all identity cards to be synchronized into one card. So, it’s not a big deal if other eminent statesmen and women applauded the move to have Ghana card.
What is contentious, however, is the disagreement on the use of the Ghana Card as the sole source document for voter registration and the fact that the NIA has hugely imponderable challenges that it’s top officials share only in the private. We need the Ghana Card but let’s hasten slowly. There is no point for this inordinate haste which creates unnecessary feeling of suspicion that has the tendency to lead to implosion, given how the use of Ghana card alone, as the source document for voter registration, could impact hugely on the electoral fortunes of political parties.
Rather than citing what a dead founder of a political party said in support of the Ghana Card, let the NIA listen to the voices of the living about the dangers of intransigence and unwillingness to build consensus on the use of the Card as the sole document for voter registration. Let the NIA and Prof Attafuah not use eloquence and big English to be dismissive of challenges that stares at us in the face. Prof Attafuah was in parliament and he saw the reaction of the minority group. Using one side of the argument of Dominic Ayine on radio to support the counter view that, the NIA doesn’t have trust deficit, is quite disingenuous. Professors must analyze things from a holistic view point. There are two sides to every coin and as we seek to build Ghana, our efforts must be aimed at protecting the national interest and not to tout one’s supposed achievements that are highly contentious.
Yaw Gyampo A31, Prabiw PAV Ansah Street Saltpond & Suro Nipa House Kubease Larteh-Akuapim
I saw a very formal statement of response from your outfit to my banter with Prof Attafuah on Newsfile two weeks ago. I never thought I was this big or important to deserve such an attention from a whole institution that is supposed to be busy focusing on registering people it has been deficient in registering, culminating in long queues, payment of money, and near stampedes at theNIA headquarters.
NIA, your responses are shrouded in half-truths and this is what is referred to as propaganda. You guys can tickle yourselves and laugh just in the quest to protect your jobs. But some of us won’t allow you to plunge Ghana into chaos and flee the country with your Diplomatic or Serviced Passports.
Kindly engage the leaders of the opposition parties again and do not live in the past. The comments of Jerry Rawlings and co, were given in the past and no one has qualms with the relevance of Ghana Card. Indeed, long before Prof Ken Attafuah got his appointment, some of us had argued for the need for all identity cards to be synchronized into one card. So, it’s not a big deal if other eminent statesmen and women applauded the move to have Ghana card.
What is contentious, however, is the disagreement on the use of the Ghana Card as the sole source document for voter registration and the fact that the NIA has hugely imponderable challenges that it’s top officials share only in the private. We need the Ghana Card but let’s hasten slowly.
There is no point for this inordinate haste which creates unnecessary feeling of suspicion that has the tendency to lead to implosion, given how the use of Ghana card alone, as the source document for voter registration, could impact hugely on the electoral fortunes of political parties.
Rather than citing what a dead founder of a political party said in support of theGhana Card, let the NIA listen to the voices of the living about the dangers of intransigence and unwillingness to build consensus on the use of the Card as the sole document for voter registration. Let the NIA and Prof Attafuah not use eloquence and big English to be dismissive of challenges that stares at us in the face.
Prof Attafuah was in parliament and he saw the reaction of the minority group. Using one side of the argument of Dominic Ayine on radio to support the counter view that, the NIA doesn’t have trust deficit, is quite disingenuous. Professors must analyze things from a holistic view point. There are two sides to every coin and as we seek to build Ghana, our efforts must be aimed at protecting the national interest and not to tout one’s supposed achievements that are highly contentious.
Executive Director of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Kenneth Attafuah, has reaffirmed that his organization is ready to issue two million Ghana cards in six months without holding a mass registration process.
The Electoral Commission (EC) is proposing a new constitutional instrument through which it intends to make the Ghana card the sole identification document for voter registration.
The Minority which is rejecting this move by the EC, is also casting doubts on the capacity of the NIA to issue Ghana cards to all applicants who have registered for the cards.
But speaking on the Point of View hosted by Bernard Avle, the NIA boss assured that without pressure on the necks of NIA staff, his team can printtwo million cards within six months to applicants.
“We can do two million cards easily in six months just operating normally. Last year, when we were not doing any mass registration, when we were not doing anything special, just operating normally, we registered over 1.5 million. So if we put our minds to it, knowing what’s at stake, knowing some of the concerns of Ghanaians, and wanting to serve, this is something we can easily design a model to address”.
He added, “within six months we can meet the expectations of Ghanaians, six months without pressure or massive mobilisation, we are doing our work at our own pace, we can deliver the 2 million cards”.
Professor Attafuah further stressed that his outfit has the capacity to print “500,000 cards in 11 days. The printers are there, and the staff are available”.
The National Identification Authority(NIA) has been assured by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta that the GHC20 million budget allocation will be released so that the authority may carry out its functions and issue Ghana Cards to the public.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, February 28, he assured that the government was ready to support the electoral process.
“We agreed on a hundred million cedi transfer and 80 million has been put into the accounts and 20 million will be done by the close of business today.
“We are very comfortable about the situation to ensure the needed cash will be given to the NIA to do its work,”Mr Ofori-Atta said.
He added “The government has been extremely good about funding elections and once the NIA’s job is liked to the elections, we can assure the House that the resources needed will always be provided.”
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has assured the National Identification Authority that the GHC20 million budget allocation will be released to enable it go ahead with its operations.#3NewsGH pic.twitter.com/LWC4IpxnXn
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) March 1, 2023
Officials of the NIA and theElectoral Commission (EC) were in Parliament on Tuesday to brief the House on the proposed Constitutional Instrument (CI) that is seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole identification document for voter registration.
The Chair of the EC Jean Mensa told Parliament that the use of the Ghana Card as the sole identification document for voter registration will ensure a credible voter roll.
She said it will also prevent minors and foreigners from getting onto the electoral register to vote.
Madam Jean Mensa said “The use of only Ghana Card will ensure and guarantee the credibility of the register and elections, prevent enrolment of minors, prevent foreigners from voting, eliminate the guarantor system which is prone to abuse.”
“The Ghana Card will not be used for voting in 2024, it will be used to register,” she said.
Regarding a revelation by Tamale South Member of Parliament Haruna Iddrisu that there were about 3.5million people without Ghana Crad, she said the National Identification Authority (NIA) has told the commission that ” there are 3.5 blank cards in the warehouse, money have been released and funds are being released.”
The Minority have been raising issues against the proposed CI.
As thegovernmentsettles a debt owed to creditors in the amount of GH100,000,000, the National Identification Authority (NIA) plans to issue more Ghanaian identification cards.
Printing of the cards was suspended following financial constraints faced by the NIA.
In view of this, more than 3.5 million cards were locked up in a bonded warehouse.
But appearing before Parliament on February 28, 2023, theFinance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta disclosed that an amount of GH¢20 million has been paid to CalBank following the initial payment of GH¢80 million.
“I think that the main question was about the GH¢100 million to be transferred to CalBank IMS and as has been confirmed by the [Executive] Director for the NIA, we have indeed transferred the GH¢80 million and today with swift instructions the GH¢20 million has also been executed. That is the assurance we want to give that we will continue to work with the programme we have agreed with CalBank,” the Finance Minister noted.
The Electoral Commission (EC) is proposing a new constitutional instrument through which it intends to make the Ghana card the sole identification document for voter registration.
Requiring further clarification on the matter, Parliament summoned the officials of the Electoral Commission, NIA and the Minister of Finance.
Also appearing before Parliament to brief MPs on the activity of the NIA, the Executive Director of the NIA, Professor Kenneth Attafuah, assured that the NIA is prepared to print all outstanding cards per the financial clearance by the Finance Ministry.
He said they are now ready to print more cards to support the EC in executing the Constitutional Instrument (CI) if it’s approved by Parliament.
“The number of cards not yet printed, i.e., persons who have registered, whose records are with NIA but whose cards have not yet been printed, stands at 541,529. This figure represents the financial difficulties we have had lately, beginning approximately in July/August of last year,” he said.
However, Prof. Attafuah has assured Ghanaians that NIA can manage the technology to print more Ghana cards.
“We have the capacity, we have over a thousand functional printers, and we have people who are trained, who are professionals who are sitting at home doing nothing and are anxious to work. We will call those people back to work. With 500 printers, we can print 50,000 cards a day,” he assured.
Parliament is expected to engage the Electoral Commission (EC), Finance Minister and the National Identification Authority (NIA).
Jean Mensa and Ken Atafuah for the EC and NIA, respectively, are to answer to the House over the voter registration law.
Mr Ofori-Atta is also expected to brief the House on the same matter.
Parliament last Thursday held a heated pre-laying debate on the report of the Special Budget Committee on the Draft Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2022 and other related matters.
In the new Constitutional Instrument (CI) the Electoral Commission (CI) has expressed the intention of using the Ghana Card or ECOWAS Card, as the only form of identification or medium to qualify a citizen of Ghana who is legible to vote to registered or enrolled onto the voters’ register.
The National Communications Authority (NIA) has given notice that it would start disconnecting subscribers on March 10, 2023, who have not concluded the SIM re-registration process.
“The National Communications Authority (NCA) wishes to remind subscribers who have completed stage one (1) but not stage two (2) of their SIM registration, as part of the ongoing SIM registration exercise, to immediately do so or risk having their SIMs disconnected after 10th March 2023,” NCA said in a statement.
It further threatened to disconnect such subscribers who fail to complete their SIM re-registration within two weeks.
“To reiterate, the importance of the SIM Registration Exercise is to develop and build a SIM database with integrity which will assist in curbing fraudulent activities. The NCA continues to urge all subscribers to complete their SIM registrations with their Ghana Cards to avoid deactivation.”
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has absolved itself from blame over claims that it issued a Ghana Card with a different name to the Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees.
According to the NIA, the registration officials are bound to register and issue a Ghana Card to an applicant who presents any of the valid documents specified by law, including a birth certificate, valid passport, valid residence permit, valid certificate of acquired citizenship, and any other information as may be required by the Authority.
“A person’s popularity is immaterial to the NIA registration process. Indeed, a popular name is not necessarily a person’s real name. NIA officials register applicants based on the names the applicants present to the officials, as captured in any of the above-specified identity documents, such as their birth certificates or passports,” a statement issued by the NIA said on Thursday.
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has questioned the credibility of the national identification exercise after his alleged revelation of the ‘dual identity’ of Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Reverend Victor Kusi-Boateng.
In a tweet on Monday, the lawmaker demanded explanations from the National Identification Authority (NIA) as to how the popular prophet arrived at their registration centre as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng but was mysteriously issued a Ghana Card bearing the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
Reacting to the claims by the lawmaker, the NIA said, contrary to the MP’s assertions, the following constitutes the facts with the issuance of a Ghana Card to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi:
a. During the mass registration exercise, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi went to an NIA registration center called Vicandy School at Asuoyeboah in Kumasi on 15th January 2020 to register for the Ghana Card;
b. He submitted to NIA registration officials a valid Ghanaian passport issued by the Passport Office on 16th May 2018, with the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi; the expiry date in the said passport is 15th May 2023;
c. NIA registration officials registered Kwabena Adu Gyamfi using his valid passport as the base identity document for his registration, and duly issued him with a Ghana Card;
d. NIA has no record of anyone bearing the name Victor Kusi Boateng in the NIR; and
e. NIA has no record in the NIR of any person born on September 7, 1971, or any other day with the name Victor Kusi Boateng.
The Authority insisted the credibility of the entire registration exercise is solidly intact adding the “credibility of the exercise cannot be questioned simply because Hon. Ablakwa is apparently unable to accept the science and law behind the issuance of a Ghana Card to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.”
Background
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has questioned the credibility of the national identification exercise after his alleged revelation of the ‘dual identity’ of Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Reverend Victor Kusi-Boateng.
In a tweet on Monday, the lawmaker demanded explanations from the National Identification Authority (NIA) as to how the popular prophet arrived at their registration centre as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng but was mysteriously issued a Ghana Card bearing the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
“Having concluded a rare and comprehensive analysis of the NIA database, I can authoritatively disclose that the biometrics (fingerprint mapping, facial templates and iris recognition) of Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng matches that of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
“Curiously, the Kwabena Adu Gyamfi Ghana Card with Personal Identification Number: GHA-718578189-2 was issued by the same government only 6 months after the government’s flagship National Cathedral of Ghana was incorporated with Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng registered as an Executive Council Member/Director. For clarity: the National Cathedral of Ghana was incorporated on 18th July, 2019 with the name Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, subsequently Kwabena Adu Gyamfi received his Ghana Card from the same government on 15th January, 2020. This is quite similar to the diplomatic passport saga.
“Inexplicably, the date of birth on the Kwabena Adu Gyamfi Ghana Card is 30th December 1969. A most puzzling development because Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng claims to be born on the 7th of September, 1971. His family, congregation and fellow pastors across the world celebrate his birthday every 7th of September.
He said the NIA should expect a full-scale parliamentary probe when the House resumes next week.
He added:” The latest Ghana Card revelation makes me even more fortified in my conviction that the scandalous transfer of a colossal GHS2.6million of the taxes of suffering Ghanaians to Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng/Kwabena Adu Gyamfi’s ubiquitous JNS Talent Centre Limited by the National Cathedral Secretariat for so-called “Contractors Mobilization” deserves to be thoroughly investigated and the obvious putrefying conflict of interest unraveled by CHRAJ. I still have confidence that CHRAJ will do a great job.”
His latest revelation comes on the heels of the filing of a Right to Information (RTI) requests with the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Registrar General’s Department on Friday, January 27, 2023, that seeks to dig into the National Cathedral Board member’s alleged scandal.
The request borders on issues surrounding the revelation of the possession of multiple identities and other alleged criminal dealings involving the Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Reverend Victor Kusi-Boateng.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has affirmed it granted a Ghana Card to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi and not Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Reverend Victor Kusi-Boateng.
The NIA’s justification follows a double identity allegations by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member for Paliament for North Tongu .
According to Mr Ablakwa, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, “a popular prophet,” fraudulently received a Ghana Card from the authority, adding that the entire National Identity Program lacks legitimacy.
Mr Ablawa alleged in a Facebook post on Monday, January, 30,”the National Identification Authority (NIA) must explain to Ghanaians how a popular prophet arrived at their registration premises as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng but was mysteriously issued a Ghana Card bearing the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi”.
“Having concluded a rare and comprehensive analysis of the NIA database, I can authoritatively disclose that the biometrics (fingerprint mapping, facial templates and iris recognition) of Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng matches that of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi”.
In a lengthy statement, the NIA described the allegations by the MP as baseless, without merit and called on Ghanaians to completely ignore the allegations.
According to the NIA, there is no record of Rev. Kusi Boateng in its database as claimed by Mr Ablakwa.
The NIA added that one of its registration centres in Kumasi duly issued an identity card to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi after he presented all the necessary documents but no ID card has been issued bearing the name Victor Kusi Boateng.
“During the mass registration exercise, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi went to an NIA registration centre called Vicandy School at Asuoyeboah in Kumasi on 15th January 2020 to register for the Ghana Card;
“He submitted to NIA registration officials a valid Ghanaian passport issued by the Passport Office on 16th May 2018, with the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi; the expiry date in the said passport is 15th May 2023. NIA registration officials registered Kwabena Adu Gyamfi using his valid passport as the base identity document for his registration, and duly issued him with a Ghana Card;
“NIA has no record of anyone bearing the name Victor Kusi Boateng in the NIR, and NIA has no record in the NIR of any person born on 7th September 1971 or any other day with the name Victor Kusi Boateng.”
Below is the full statement by the NIA
NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION AUTHORITY (NIA) PRESS RELEASE
Issuance of Ghana Card to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi by NIA
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has noted with concern allegations against the NIA by Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency, in his Facebook post of Monday, 30th January 2023, and published by GhanaWeb and other media portals.
Essentially, Hon. Ablakwa alleges that NIA has fraudulently issued a Ghana Card to Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, “a popular prophet” and former Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral Secretariat, who had apparently presented himself at NIA premises with that identity but was issued a Ghana Card bearing the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, with a different date of birth.
Hon. Ablakwa describes this as mysterious and asserts that his “rare and comprehensive analysis of the NIA database” discloses that “the biometrics (fingerprint mapping, facial template and iris recognition) of Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng matches that of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi”.
On these bases, Hon. Ablakwa, who is also the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Ghana, “calls to question the credibility of the entire national identification exercise, particularly after the recent embarrassing Aisha Huang Affair” (emphasis added). Hon. Ablakwa then laments that “it is the sloppiness and or complicity of state institutions that embolden certain characters to entrench their sophisticated conflict of interest machinations.”
The NIA wishes to react to the above allegations, insinuations and attacks as follows:
1. Alleged Fraudulent and Mysterious Registration and Issuance of Ghana Card
NIA is required by law to register applicants onto the NIA database, properly called the National Identity Register (NIR), based on the information supplied by applicants. Section 8(1) of the National Identity Register (Amendment) Act, 2017 (Act 950) provides that, the Authority shall require an individual who applies for an entry to be made in the Register to submit any of the following identity documents: a. a birth certificate; b. a valid passport; c. a valid residence permit; d. a valid certificate of acquired citizenship; and e. any other information as may be required by the Authority.
The amendment of Section 8 of the National Identity Register Act, 2008 (Act 750) by the 7th Parliament of Ghana in 2017 was made by all Members of Parliament including Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Thus, NIA registration officials are bound to register and issue a Ghana Card to an applicant who presents any of the documents specified above, unless on the face of the record or based on information gathered from the interview process, there is a reasonable basis to suspect fraud.
NIA operates in accordance with law and public policy. A person’s popularity is immaterial to the NIA registration process. Indeed, a popular name is not necessarily a person’s real name. NIA officials register applicants based on the names the applicants present to the officials, as captured in any of the above-specified identity documents, such as their birth certificates or passports.
Alternatively, as is commonly known, where an applicant is unable to submit any of the specified documents, they may be vouched for by a relative or other qualified people before a Commissioner for Oaths at the registration premises. In that event, the registration officials will use the name indicated by the applicant and vouched for by the guarantor(s) as the applicant’s name.
Thus, there is nothing mysterious about Kwabena Adu Gyamfi being issued with a Ghana Card as such, even though Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa knows Kwabena Adu Gyamfi as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng as well. Hon. Ablakwa has not presented any evidence that there is a person known as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng whose biometrics exist in the NIA’s database or NIR with which he made his rare and comprehensive analysis.
Contrary to Hon. Ablakwa’s assertions, the following constitute the facts in the NIR in connection with the issuance of a Ghana Card to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi:
a. During the mass registration exercise, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi went to an NIA registration center called Vicandy School at Asuoyeboah in Kumasi on 15th January 2020 to register for the Ghana Card;
b. He submitted to NIA registration officials a valid Ghanaian passport issued by the Passport Office on 16th May 2018, with the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi; the expiry date in the said passport is 15th May 2023;
c. NIA registration officials registered Kwabena Adu Gyamfi using his valid passport as the base identity document for his registration, and duly issued him with a Ghana Card;
d. NIA has no record of anyone bearing the name Victor Kusi Boateng in the NIR; and
e. NIA has no record in the NIR of any person born on 7th September 1971 or any other day with the name Victor Kusi Boateng.
In these circumstances, NIA registration officials at the Vicandy School Registration Center did everything right, and absolutely nothing wrong; they could not reasonably have been expected to know that Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also apparently bore the name Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng as Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa claims. A popular name may not be a person’s real or official name, and this is rather trite or commonplace.
2. Attacking the Credibility of the National Identification Exercise
Hon. Ablakwa questions “the credibility of the entire national ID exercise”. We beg to differ. Surely, the credibility of the exercise cannot be questioned simply because Hon. Ablakwa is apparently unable to accept the science and law behind the issuance of a Ghana Card to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
The credibility of the entire registration exercise is solidly intact. Indeed, with stoic determination and focus, NIA has, since 2017, conducted a national identification exercise that has resulted in the capture of the biometrics and alpha-numeric data of over 17.3 million Ghanaians and qualified foreigners in Ghana, each with a unique identity, and issued smart, dual-interface biometric identity cards to over 16 million of them.
The registration exercise continues at 276 District Offices and 16 Regional Offices of NIA. The register built from “the entire registration exercise” captures biometrics, date of birth, citizenship, residential address, and digital address, among others.
In addition to the comprehensive national identity register, NIA and its technical partner, Identity Management Systems II Limited (IMS II), have built a credible and robust National Identification System (NIS) which includes:
a. A state-of-the-art back-end (technical) system;
b. A dependable data verification system platform that is currently being used by various businesses nationwide including:
c. i. All 25 universal banks in Ghana ii. All 145 Rural Banks iii. 19 Savings and Loans institutions iv. Five Micro-Finance/Micro-Credit institutions v. Five Finance and Leasing institutions vi. 16 Fintechs vii. Nine state institutions including SSNIT, GRA, NHIA and Students Loan Trust Fund viii. Six Telecommunications companies (telcos);
d. A Ghana Card issued to applicants – the card is integrated and harmonized with other databases such as those of SSNIT, GRA, NHIA, and all banks and telcos in the country. The Ghana Card is secure with high-level encryption, digital certificates, and Public Key Infrastructure, and meets the highest global standards. It is a contact and contactless smartcard with a 148k memory chip as well as secure printing that meets the global standards of ICAO and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, with open standards. In addition, the card is unique and operates with a biometric verification system that is fast, accurate and not limited by geography.
So far, there have been more than 7.2 million biometric verifications without a single hitch. The Ghana Card verification system also has the capability to track and trace all transactions and return accurate and up-to-date information on the status of each individual, including banking and voting transactions.
Finally, as the single truth anchor for the verification of persons, the Ghana Card constitutes a single source of truth in identity management in Ghana, and will ensure political stability and development, as well as economic and social inclusion. So far, NIA has shared vital data with the Ghana Police Service, EOCO and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to assist in crime detection, investigation and prosecution.
Hon. Ablakwa is entitled to pursue all reasonable measures to tackle the spate of conflict of interest in our beloved country. He is, however, not entitled to attack and undermine the credibility of the National ID exercise, the NIS or any state institution without just cause.
3. The Kusi Boateng – Adu Gyamfi Ghana Card Revelation
Hon. Ablakwa notes that the “latest Kusi Boateng – Adu Gyamfi Ghana card revelation” fortifies his conviction even more that investigations are warranted into some dubious monetary transfer involving Victor Kusi Boateng/Kwabena Adu Gyamfi in connection with the National Cathedral Project. That may be so. But as far as NIA is concerned, there is nothing revelatory in Hon. Ablakwa’s post about NIA. He provides the application details of only Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, with 30th December 1969 as his date of birth, but not those of Victor Kusi Boateng, with 7th September 1971 as his date of birth. Hon. Ablakwa does not provide any records of Victor Kusi Boateng from the NIA database because none exists!
Again, Hon. Ablakwa’s claim that his “rare and comprehensive analysis of the NIA database” discloses that “the biometrics … of Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng matches that of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi” rings hollow. The claim is false because there is no biometric record of any person in the NIA database called Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng and, therefore, Hon. Ablakwa could not have conducted any comparative analysis of that non-existent data with that of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi”.
The claim to having conducted “a rare and comprehensive analysis of the NIA database” is a mere self-praise; indeed, it is both rare and uncanny. Hon. Ablakwa provides no empirical evidence of the biometrics of Victor Kusi Boateng precisely, as there is none, and if there is, it is not derived from the NIA database!
4. Invoking the Spectre of the Aisha Huang Affair As far as NIA is concerned, there was nothing embarrassing about its handling of the Aisha Huang affair. On the contrary, there was everything celebratory about NIA’s handling of Aisha Huang’s attempted fraudulent registration for the Ghana Card, in that it was the vigilance of its personnel and the robustness of its technical system that resulted in her exposure.
The NIR does not contain any record of a person named Aisha Huang, a point that was made abundantly clear by the NIA when the “Aisha Huang Story” broke. Raising the spectre of the dead Aisha Huang non-story is both unnecessary and disingenuous. NIA’s verification system functioned as designed to enable NIA to prevent En Huang (the so-called Aisha Huang) from registering under a new name and date of birth for a new Non-Citizen Ghana Card, despite her being in possession of two different Chinese passports. NIA deserves commendation, not condemnation!
In short, the allegations against NIA by Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa are without merit or foundation and must be ignored by Ghanaians. NIA urges Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa respects state institutions doing their best to build the nation. The insinuations and castigations will not change NIA’s resolve to remain focused, rigorous and coherent in fulfilling its statutory mandate. End.
The National Identification Authority has begun the registration and issuance of Refugee Identity Cards to refugees living in Ghana.
The process is expected to enable refugees in the country to get access to some social services they do not currently enjoy as a result of their unregistered status.
Accessing basic services such as opening a bank account, registering SIM cards etc. is often a daunting task for refugees in the country. They have thus been calling on the government to be considered for the Ghana card ever since the exercise began, so they could live a stress-free life while in the country.
Some of the registered refugees Citi News spoke to, expressed joy and said they now feel fully integrated into the Ghanaian society.
Acting Executive Secretary for the Ghana Refugee Board, Padi Tetteh commended the registration process saying it is a step in the right direction and in accordance with international conventions.
“Due to the fact that we are signatories to the UN Refugee Convention and also the fact that we are governed by the Ghana Refugee Law, we are to ensure that refugees have access to social services, and it is important that they do so in order to allow them to earn a living.”
Padi Tetteh also revealed that 7,000 refugees are expected to be issued the card at the end of the exercise.
He was quick to clarify that the card does not grant nationality to the refugees but, it is a means to enable them to get access to decent social services and also to ensure their safety while living in Ghana.
“It is important to note that the card doesn’t grant them nationality, and they don’t have the right to vote. The only thing is that the card gives them the right to social services in order to live in safety and dignity.”
The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol outline the rights of refugees, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them, including the right to social services.
Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), says the Authority is poised to clear all backlogs and register new people if the Ghana card will be used for the 2024 general election.
“There’s ample time, there’s solid technology, expertise, leadership and will… If Parliament gives the Electoral Commission the go-ahead, we are ready,” he said.
Prof Attafuah, who said this in an engagement with the media, said: ” It will be a tragedy if we do not use Ghana card for election 2024. There’s no reasonable basis for that not to happen.”
He said because, the NIA had registered 17.3 million out of the 19 million projection with ” a lot of those eligible to vote captured”.
The Executive Secretary said those who had not been registered and above 18 years and those who would turn 18 years could be registered in six months.
“… Ours is continuous registration and we have offices in every district and NIA has shown capacity to open additional registration points. These measures will be introduced when necessary.”
Prof Attafuah also said the Authority would begin the registration of Ghanaians abroad next year February.
He said the registration, a statutory requirement, would be done by Ghana’s missions and at a fee to the registrants.
Prof Attafuah said Ghanaians in the West African sub-region would pay the equivalent of 30 dollars with those in the rest of Africa paying slightly lower than those Euro-American countries.
Ghanaians in Euro-American countries will pay 50 dollars.
He said the payment was part of the revenue model that underpinned the public private engagement on the Identity Management System and reason the Authority was able to give out the cards free to Ghanaians in Ghana.
The Authority will also start registering Ghanaians age six years and above and Ghanaians in detention from February next year.
The Executive Secretary said so far, the NIA had registered 17,316,762 Ghanaians, printed 16,701,636 cards and issued 16,016,464 cards.
He said the Authority had so enrolled 164,405 foreigners, printed and issued 164,405 cards to them.
The Authority has started the registration of refugees in the country.
The Chamber of Telecommunications has bemoaned the costly nature of the sim registration exercise.
According to the Chief Executive of the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber, Ken Ashigbey, telecommunication companies have had to procure more devices and personnel to aid in the SIM registration process.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Mobile Industry Transparency Initiative, 2021 he said: “There are development costs that went into being able to put our systems in place to align with the NCA’s systems to be able to do the verifications, there’s an app we use that we pay for. Before the policy came in place, most of our agents were using feature phones to do registration but now for them to be able to do it, we need smartphones, so it cost a lot of money to be able to do that.”
“Then you have to recruit extra people needed to be able to do the exercise and we had to pay those people that we recruited and that is cost. The collaboration between the NCA and NIA needs to be stronger. We need to collaborate a lot more so that the verification processes will be tighter.”
Ashigbey added that when the NCA and NIA are able to collaborate effectively when anyone is “on the database, I don’t need to hold my card to be able to register.”
He, therefore, called on the NCA, the Ministry of Communications to hasten the process to end the registration and also make room for persons who are yet to register their SIM cards.
The Minority in Parliament has deferred its petition to the House to put on hold the proposed Public Elections Instrument by the Electoral Commission until they have addressed every issue with stakeholders, including the National Identification Authority(NIA).
On the order paper for November 1, the minority was expected to submit a petition to parliament to halt the presentation of the proposed Public Elections (Registration of Voters) instrument (C.I) until the backlog of Ghana Cards, which the National Identification Authority has admitted is cleared.
However, during a press conference, the minority leader said they had to defer the C.I for further consultations with leadership.
“With the petition on the matter relating to the C.I and the Voter register and National Identification, I am deferring it for further consultations with leadership and your good self and not proceeding on it for today until after the consultations,” Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority Leader told the media.
A few months back, the Electoral Commission announced the proposed Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations 2021 Constitutional Instrument, which seeks to make the Ghana Card the only proof of nationality for its impending limited registration exercise.
They have been strongly opposed as they believe the exercise will disenfranchise Ghanaians as many are yet to acquire their Ghana Cards.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) will on Monday (31 October) close down its special service centre at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra.
“Applicants requesting update and card replacement services should visit the nearest NIA district or regional office,” the NIA announced on Friday.
“All applicants yet to pick up their cards having successfully undergone an update or card replacement process before the closure should do so at the NIA Greater Accra regional office, located at PWD, Kinbu.
“Applicants requesting the card verification service should visit the NIA head office at Shiashie, Accra. For further information and assistance, kindly call 0302 999 306.”
The NIA on 28 March this year moved the update of personal records, verification and replacement of cards to the El-Wak Stadium. That move came a few days after a stampede at the premises of the National Identification Authority headquarters in Accra led to one person being rushed to the hospital, reports the Daily Graphic.
The Ghana Card is the primary and sole identity card for sim re-registration and for other official requirements in state and some private institutions.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has announced that effective October 31, its special service centre at El-wak sports stadium will be closed down.
The Authority opened the registration centre at El-wak months ago to facilitate the registration for the Ghana card and its replacement.
The NIA in a statement said all applicants who have completed the processes for a card update or replacement but are yet to pick their cards should visit the Greater Accra Regional office at Kinbu.
“Applicants requesting update and card replacement services should visit the nearest NIA District or Regional Office,” the Authority said in a statement.
It added that all applicants who have any request regarding the card verification should do so at its Shiashie head office.
Meanwhile, the Authority says it has so far issued 15,826,148 Ghana cards out of the 16,627,325 printed cards from 17,109,627 registrations as of the end of August this year.
Addressing a press conference in Accra recently, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, Professor Kenneth Agyeman Attafuah, said while his outfit admits that there were some challenges with the issuance of the cards, it could not be blamed solely if some people did not have their cards yet.
He said some Ghanaians have failed to take advantage of the various opportunities for them to go for their cards at the decentralised levels.
“We still have some cards issued during the mass registration exercises in 2020. I was in Koforidua about three months ago on a monitoring exercise. I called someone whose card was ready to come for it. That person said it was not time for the collection of cards and that he would come for it when he had need for it.
Chairman of the Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) and Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, has stated that Ghana remains committed to its obligation to protect the safety and dignity of refugees and asylum seekers in the country.
Addressing the 73rd Session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Switzerland today 11October 2022, Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, said Ghana is living up to its responsibility of ensuring that refugees are not left behind.
According to Professor Attafuah, the Ghana Refugee Board and the National Identification Authority, who are both under the Ministry of the Interior, in collaboration with the UNHCR, are taking steps to ensure that refugees will be registered and issued with the National Identity Card, also known as the Ghana Card” shortly.
“This has become a mandatory requirement for all nationals and residents in accessing various services and facilities such as banking and financial transactions, accessing social security, insurance and healthcare, paying taxes, applying for a driver’s license, registering an interest in land, and registering a SIM card” Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah said.
“The Issuance of the Ghana Card to refugees is a major step aimed at guaranteeing social and financial inclusion for all refugees. Our policy is that whoever they are, wherever they come from, wherever they find themselves within Ghana and at whatever time, refugees must be able to access services at the same levels as their Ghanaian hosts. This is what we aim to achieve as a refugee-hosting country” he added.
Safety of refugees
On the safety and dignity of refugees and asylum seekers in Ghana, Professor Attafuah, noted that Burkinabe nationals who have sought refuge in Ghana due to the security situation in their country are being accorded the needed protection by the State.
Ghana he added “continues to live up to its obligations in this regard. Notwithstanding the interrelationships that exist across our borders and the already frequent seasonal movements into Ghana by Burkinabes to engage in livelihood activities, Ghana will register Burkinabes nationals and continue to guarantee international protection for those who have crossed into our country to seek asylum”.
Buduburam refugee camp
In his remarks, Professor Attafuah assured the gathering that the Akufo-Addo administration will properly decommission the Buduburam Refugee camp in a safe, secure, humane and efficient manner consistent with domestic and international law and Ghana’s human rights obligations.
Ghana, he said “has taken note of the special appeal to the UNHCR by the Government of Liberia to assist with the repatriation of Liberian refugees from Ghana”.
“We note, however, that, as reported last year, the Ghana Refugee Board successfully intervened to stop the planned decommissioning of the Buduburam Refugee Camp in September 2021 which used to host Liberian refugees from 2003 but now serves as unauthorized home to some former Liberian refugees and Ghanaian nationals.
Some of the Liberians had benefited from voluntary repatriation but have returned to Ghana and to the Buduburam Camp at their own accord. High-level meetings have since been held between Ghana and Liberia and a roadmap developed to repatriate the non-refugee Liberians from the former camp to Liberia” Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah said.
“Ghana remains committed to ensuring that the former Liberian refugees are duly repatriated to Liberia in a safe and humane manner, subject to the availability of funding from the appropriate quarters” he added.
. Ghana lauded
In his remarks following Ghana’s address, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, His Excellency Mr Filippo Grandi, expressed delight over the concept of including refugees in the acquisition of the Ghana Card and enabling them to access diverse facilities and services, describing it as “extremely important”.
He expressed appreciation for Ghana’s handling of the influx of Burkinabe nationals seeking refuge in Ghana because of the security situation in their country, which he said was worrying.
Mr Grandi added that “when refugees start to move to coastal areas”, it justifies “the concern and provides one more reason to invest more to bring to an end or to improve the situation in the area of the root cause of those influxes”.
He also lauded Ghana for “being one of the main actors in bringing to a close the situation of the Ivorian refugees with the invocation of the Cessation Clause” and other measures.
Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Kenneth Attafuah, has warned Ghanaians not to develop hatred for foreign nationals, particularly Chinese, following reports of their involvement in illegal mining.
According to him, engaging in xenophobia and hurting innocent lives in the process will be hypocritical on the part of Ghanaians as compatriots in other countries, especially South Africa, have been victims of such prejudice.
Addressing the press last Friday on the non-citizen Ghana Card issued to Aisha Huang, a galamsey kingpin, he said “Jingoism is dangerous. Excessive nationalism but one that also targets others, that is xenophobia.”
“We have to be careful not to drift into xenophobia because Chinese numbers are large in our country or a woman called Aisha Huang is said to be dangerous or any of the considerations that dominate public discourse about Chinese, Nigerians,” he added.
It recently emerged that Aisha Huang, who is currently in police custody for allegedly engaging in illegal mining and the sale and purchase of minerals, had been issued a Ghana Card but on a false pretence. She used the name Huang En instead of Aisha Huang.
In a statement, the NIA explained that on February 26, 2014, a Chinese woman named HUANG EN registered as a first-time applicant for a foreigner identity card at the Foreigner Identification Management System (FIMS) registration centre at Nhyiaeso, Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region.
Her biometrics were captured and she was issued a non-citizen Ghana Card.
She subsequently did two more renewals on 31st August 2016 and 8th January 2018, using the same details and Chinese passport number G39575625- Forename:
En, Surname: Huang, Date of Birth: 07-Jul-86, Personal ID Number: CHN-010039480-J, Passport Number: G39575625.
The statement continued that “On August 25, 2022, at 10:35 am, an incident occurred at the FIMS Registration Centre in Tamale, Northern Region, involving a Chinese national who visited the centre as a first-time applicant with the following details: Forename: RUIXIA, Surname: HUANG, Date of Birth: 07-Nov-75, Passport Number: EJ5891162.”
The registration, however, went into a technical state known as ‘RejectedDueAFIS’, which meant that the biometrics of RUIXIA HUANG possibly matched that of an already existing person in the NIS database.
The registration officer, therefore, sent a request to the technical support team for further investigations.
This revealed that, based on the biometrics provided, “RUIXIA HUANG” had previously registered as EN HUANG in the FIMS record under the NIS database.
Per the NIA, when confronted by the registration officer with this information, she claimed to have changed her name.
This information and the fact that the Chinese are the foreign nationals with the highest number of non-citizen Ghana Cards have caused citizens to worry.
Professor Kenneth Agyemang revealed that 34,712 non-citizen Ghana Cards have been issued to Chinese nationals.
According to him, the NIA is unable to determine the ulterior motives held by such foreign nationals because they are not under any law or obligation to provide the Authority as to why they are in Ghana.
“Do Chinese tell why they are in Ghana? They are not required by the laws of NIA. Nobody is required, whether they are Chinese or British. We have to be careful not to be selective about this,” he said.
He, however, added that “It is the profession that is required to be stated with respect to NIA.”
“We have to hasten slowly,” he reiterated, on the need to avoid any form of xenophobia.
South Africa has a history of xenophobia against Africans.
Foreign Africans have been blamed for economic insecurity, crimes, and government failures and have therefore been targets of nationwide protests and shutdowns characterised by mob violence, looting, and torching of their businesses.
Attacks on foreign Africans, including Ghanaians, in the country resurfaced at the beginning of September this year.
In view of this, the Ghanaian High Commission in South Africa has entreated Ghanaian compatriots “be vigilant to any such incidents, restrict their movements to safe areas, avoid mass gatherings and refrain from engaging in activities that could result in conflict, brawls or deterioration in their safety.”
With less than two weeks until the end of the SIM card re-registration period, the National Identification Authority (NIA) has revealed that it will be unable to register all Ghanaians before the September 30, 2022, deadline.
Addressing the media at a press conference on Friday, September 16, 2022, Executive Secretary of
the NIA, Prof. Kenneth Agyeman Attafuah, explained that the authority has been saddled with financial and logistic difficulties in registering and issuing the Ghana card, which is the sole identification document for the SIM card registration.
Prof. Attafuah mentioned that currently there “is only one office in a district and there are 4 people
in that district office. At the 200 registration centres, you may have about 16 NIA officials serving the people.”
“That is not how the physical and logistical system has been designed to respond. We cannot do that. There is no way that the NIA can register those people. It is technically, physically impossible. We had said way back in March that it was impossible. I have said it is like expecting a maiden to make a baby every three months,” he added during a press conference on Friday.”
The aforementioned challenges bedevilling NIA, according to Prof Attafuah were communicated to the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Ministry of Digitalisation and Communication before they announced the deadlines for the re-registration of SIM cards.
Despite describing the September 30 deadline as unfortunate, he said “it is not for NIA to proffer advice on that as it falls outside its mandate. However, I can say on authority that we have engaged actively with the National Communications Authority, and with the Minister [of Communications and Digitalisation] since last year.”
As of September 9, 2022, the NIA has issued 15,859,251 Ghana cards and is yet to print 528,360 cards as well as issue 763,877 cards, according to Director of Corporate Affairs, Dr Abudu Abdul Ganiyu.
The NIA, however, says it is working hard to clear its backlog before the stated deadline.
Nonetheless, the NCA has issued some punitive measures against mobile network subscribers who have failed to register their SIM cards.
These subscribers on September 5, 2022, were prohibited from using specific services, such as data and all outgoing voice calls once a week.
Some Ghanaians who are facing the brunt of NCA’s punitive actions have lamented that the stipulated time frame will not only affect subscribers but businesses as well.
A Pressure Group, the People’s Project, have sued the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Attorney-General (A-G) over the ongoing SIM card re-registration exercise.
The group is asking the Supreme Court to declare the deadline for registration and the associated punitive measures for non-registration null and void, arguing of gold has in the long run destroyed Ghana’s water bodies and farmlands.
Unwavering about the concerns of Ghanaians, the Minister for Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu- Ekuful has stated that SIM card registration will help minimize fraudulent activities.
She iterated that defaulting subscribers who fail to meet the
September 30 deadline will have their SIM card deactivated.
However, individuals whose SIM cards will be blocked after the September 30 deadline will be given a six-month grace period to reclaim their SIM cards after registering.
