The national mass registration of eligible Ghanaians for the Ghana Card would start on Monday, April 29, beginning with the Greater Accra Region, the National Identification Authority (NIA), has announced with a call on eligible Ghanaians to avail themselves of the opportunity.
Addressing a media conference in Accra, on Thursday, Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, said the exercise would be extended to the other regions, following its close in Greater Accra on Saturday, July 6.
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.
Eighty five per cent of Ghanaians are expected to be captured at the end of the exercise.
Prof Attafuah, however, explained that the registration would also be extended to Ghanaians in the Diaspora.
Explaining the registration requirements, the Executive Secretary said an applicant must provide either a genuine birth certificate or a valid Ghanaian Passport; or a valid certificate of acquired citizenship, with a Ghana Post Digital Address Code.
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.
Otherwise, two members of the community known to him or her, having the Card, and are either practising or retired professionals can vouch for the applicants under Oath.
These must be a principal, a headteacher, a gazetted chief, a retired magistrate or a judge.
A medical doctor, a nurse, a lawyer and other prominent personalities in the society could also be a voucher.
Prof. Attafuah said the registration onto the electronic National Identity Register would integrate and harmonise existing identification registers to become the foremost source of identification system in Ghana.
It would also eliminate duplication of registers and the waste of national resources by other government agencies to upgrade their national information systems.
Consequently, Ghanaians both home and abroad would have a biometric verification service, while all user agencies, including the Bank of Ghana, Social Security and National Insurance Trust, National Health Insurance Authority and Ghana Revenue Authority could benefit from it.
Prof. Attafuah, therefore, urged all eligible Ghanaians to participate in the mass registration exercise.
The National Identification Authority is a corporate body established under the Office of the President with the key responsibility of creating a national identification system and managing national database.
Copyright © 1994 - 2024 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved.
