Stop issuing birth certificates to foreigners

Mr John Yalmon Badangbanoya, Volta Regional Birth and Death Registration Officer has cautioned officers of the Organisation against illegal issuance of birth certificates to foreigners for the Ghana Card registration.

He said indications were that some officials of Birth and Death in the Region were taking advantage of the demand for birth certificates for Ghana and issuing birth certificates to foreigners.

Mr Yalmon said this during the first Council meeting of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council at the Residency in Ho, which was attended by the 18 Municipal and District Assemblies, Presiding Members, Heads of Department and Agencies, representatives of the Regional House of Chiefs and some NGOs.

He said the Constitution clearly defined the boundaries, who a Ghanaian should be and alleged the officers were giving birth certificates to foreigners for financial gains.

“How can you assist foreigners to gain access to our registry, when for instance both parents of such applicant’s are foreigners? You can only do this on collusion,” Mr Yalmon said.

“If you think that this is your cocoa season, know that the law is ready to embrace you,” he added.

Dr Archibald Y. Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, directed security services to investigative the allegation and that culprits would not be spared.

He said the national mass registration exercise was aimed at securing holders’ identity theft and impersonation.

The Ghana Card is to facilitate the delivery of public services, provision of a range of methods for checking and verifying identities, convenience and secure access to facilities.

It would be a game-changer to ensure the social and economic inclusion of users in the participation of e-commerce, e-governance, e-health and related services.