EC not obliged to use Ghana Card for elections – NIA Boss

Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah has said the Electoral Commission is not obliged to use the Ghana Card as a tool for voting in an election.

According to him “The Ghana Card cannot be used as voters ID card by the Electoral Commission [EC] because it is a different institution which has its own way of doing things and laws binding it, therefore it is up to them to decide whether to use it or not, but we as officials of Ghana Card cannot force them to use it for their works.”

He said aside that the Ghana card should be the foremost card to be used for any form of transaction in the name of Ghana before any other card comes into play.

“I have heard some banks reject the Ghana card, but they must desist from that as it is the first identity of a Ghanaian unless the person in question does not have the Ghana card before any other identity card can be used in place of that,” he clarified.

“In fact, anyone who rejects the Ghana Card breaks the laws of Ghana,” he added.

Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah on UTV’s Friday edition of ‘Adekye Nsroma’, called ‘Mpu ne Mpu’ stressed that their target is to get more than 80% of Ghanaians registered on the Ghana card by next year, which is an exercise this country has yearned for many years ago and not an initiative of this government alone as some allege.

Registration

The National Identification Authority (NIA) started the mass registration and Ghana Card issuance exercise in the Greater Accra Region from Monday, April 29, 2019, and expected to end on Saturday, July 6, 2019.

The region has been divided into two zones: Accra West and Accra East, where registration centres have been opened at specific locations.

Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, said the exercise would be extended to the other regions, following its closure in the Greater Accra.

The exercise would enable persons from the age of 15 to be captured onto the National Identity Register and issued with the national card.

Prof. Attafuah outlined the dates for the various regions as follows: Volta and Oti regions from July 15 to August 1; Northern, Savannah and North East regions - August 13 to September 2; while the Upper East and Upper West regions would have their turn from September 12 to 29.

Others are Bono, Bono East and Ahafo- October 10 – 30; Western Region and Western North - November 11 to December 2; Ashanti Region from December 10 to January 31, 2020.

The rest are Eastern Region - February 12- March 4; and Central Region - March 13-31.

Prof. Attafuah explained that the registration days would strictly be Monday to Saturday, from 0800 to 1700. Public holidays are, however, excluded.

Additionally, information on the applicant’s National Health Insurance Card, Voter Identification Card, Driver’s License and SSNIT Biometric Card are captured. Applicants without birth certificates and passports are required to present a relative, who has been issued with the Ghana Card to vouch for them under an Oath.