Ghana card registration commences in Takoradi

The National Identification Authority (NIA) on Monday started the registration exercise for the Ghana Card in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis with minor hitches and complaints.

Many of the centres the GNA visited, people were worried over delay in the process, inability to get the card instantly and issues of security.

Meanwhile, the number of people at the various centres visited were not also encouraging.

The process, which seemed less cumbersome however left people disappointed that their cards could not be issued to them right away.

According to Madam Sarah Effah, a trader who was present at the PWD centre, after completing the process, the NIA officials said their machine was faulty and that she should return to the centre in three days for her card.

The same complaints were received at the other centres visited.

As of 0600 hours, people started queuing for the registration process, though the NIA officials started the process around 0830 hours for most centres visited.

The exercise involved three phases; verification of documents, presentation of birth certificate or passport for further documentation and If a person does not have any of them, relatives with the Ghana card or two non-relatives with the card served as guarantors.

Other steps involved filling the forms and taking of photograph, digital signature as well as thumbprints.

At the Star of the Sea Catholic Cathedral centre, people complained about the pace at which the queue moved but officials made it clear that civil servants with valid IDs could begin the process without joining the queue.

There was also a language barrier as some of the officials could not communicate in the local dialect and hence the tendency for misinformation.

Mr Ebenezer Nelson, an electrician who was there for the registration, when asked about the security situation said;’police men came around when the officials arrived, but did not stay for long. We are not safe should there be any misunderstanding we can be hurt’.

There were no security personnel at all the centres visited, which is worrying,since public gatherings required some level of safety, enforcement and compliance to rules.