The National Identification Authority (NIA) began mass registration and Ghana Card issuance exercise in the Greater Accra Region today. The region has been didvided into two zone: Accra East and Accra West with 350 registration centres in each zone, making a total of 700 registration centres in the region.
In an exclusive interview with Citizen Kofi on Ahotor FM’s morning show, Adekyee Mu Nsem, the Head of Corporate Affairs of NIA, ACI Francis Palmdeti, said the Ghana Card is no ordinary card and is of the highest quality and capacity in the world. ‘The card is of higher quality and has a capacity of 158kilobites and higher features than that of the United States and any other card used in the world’ he said. According to ACI Palmdeti, the Ghana Card is a smart card and has a capacity of incorporating information from some other government agencies and already the NHIA and SSNIT have opted for two (2) applets out of a total of fourteen (14) which the card has. This means that soon, after the registration, these agencies will no longer issue out cards and will have all their information and data on the Ghana Card and other public agencies will soon join, he added.
The registration centres will mostly be situated at centres used by the Electoral Commission (EC) during elections. However, some of the centres might be at different locations due to the fact that the process involves the use of internet and the centres will be situated at where the internet service is higher and stable. ACI Palmdeti assured that the NIA is however doing its best to make all the centres user-friendly and disability friendly.
Touching on the issue of requirements, ACI Palmdeti retreated that every individual must present a Birth Certificate or Passport before he/she will be legitimate to register. In the absence of any of the two (2) documents, one needs a relative as a guarantor who has been registered and issued the Ghana Card. A Certificate of Acquired Citizenship (a certificate issued to foreigners who have legally acquired Ghanaian citizenship) is also acceptable. The GhanaPost Digital Address is a also one of the definite requirements that every individual needs to provide.
The current mass registration is for Ghanaian aged 15 years and above. Registration for those below age 15 years will be done next year, after this mass registration. There will however be offices of the NIA across the country where those who would not be able to register during this registration period to go register and get their cards even after the mass registration. However, individual who misplace their cards and want a replacement will be surcharged a fee yet to be determined by parliament.
BY Alfred Kwaku Daformekpor| Ahotoronline.com
