…but officials say they are almost ready for take-off … Ghanaians abroad will be included
The National Identification Authority (NIA) says despite the delay in the commencement of the registration process for the issuance of full-proof ID cards, they are on course and will soon start the process using over 27,000 registration assistants to collect the required data across the country.
Executive Secretary of the Authority, Professor Ernest Dumor says the promulgation of relevant laws required to legalise the process for data capturing for the register, its usage and protection of the date contributed to the delay in the commencement of the exercise.
The draft regulation on date capture and protection has received cabinet approval, and is expected to be laid before parliament soon for approval.
Asked why they have to necessarily wait for a law, Professor Dumor said, it is international practice all over for the world when wanting to capture biometric data it must be done fairly and in conformity with the law.
He explained that while an Act of Parliament has already established the NIA with a mandate to register and issue ID cards to all Ghanaian citizens, the Authority must wait for a law that will allow and authorize the capture of data and also deal with the protection and confidentiality of data as well as sharing it with other governmental agencies in the country.
In the interim however, field staff of the Authority are out and about mapping out locations, recruiting and training a number of registration assistants for a pilot & testing of the mobile registration workstations (MRWs) that will be used for the exercise.
The testing will be coordinated by the NIA and its technical solution provider, SAGEM of France which has customized the products for Ghana and all issues relating to it have been duly sorted out.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, Professor Dumor confirmed that the Authority is ready and will be registering all Ghanaians living outside the borders of the country.
When he was reminded by the dailyEXPRESS that Ghanaians are and will be scattered all over the five continents, making their registration difficult, the NIA Executive Secretary said they’ve been mandated to do the registration and will go ahead to register nationals abroad.
