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The Executive Secretary of Ghana’s National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, has emphasized that the government owes the ID-issuing agency nearly $80 million in outstanding arrears for the production of ID cards.
According to the publication, the NIA only released the cards for distribution after accepting a partial payment from Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Attah.
It is believed that this outstanding debt has negatively impacted the production of ID cards, which are increasingly required for access to various services.
Over the years, there has been a backlog in the issuance of Ghana Cards, affecting the lives of citizens and making it difficult for many to comply with a government directive requiring all SIM cards to be re-registered using the digital ID.
Additionally, the country is currently conducting a biometric voter registration campaign in which the Ghana Card is the primary credential required. Many citizens have reported being unable to register for the upcoming general elections due to a lack of ID cards.
However, the Chairperson of the Ghana Elections Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, recently clarified that the compilation of the voter’s register will be done using the voter’s card, not the Ghana Card.
Mensa explained that voter’s cards are used because they identify voters based on their polling stations, allowing for proper preparations ahead of the elections.
She emphasized that this approach enables the EC to verify biometrics, fingerprints, and faces at the polling stations.
In a related development, Prof Attafuah suggested that banks and other financial institutions in the country could significantly reduce fraud by using the Ghana Card for account holder authentication.
He made this statement during an event marking the 2023 ID Day, where he highlighted the importance of digital identity in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Prof Attafuah noted that banks in Ghana have lost over 162 million Ghanaian cedis (approximately $14 million) to fraud.
Recently, Ghana launched a nationwide follow-up activity for Ghana Card registration.
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