Dr Ofori-Tenkorang, the Director-General of SSNIT has stated that the integration of the databases of the Social Security and National insurance Trust (SSNIT) and National Identification Authority (NIA) would save SSNIT $17 million as a result of halting the printing of new biometric cards to its Members.

Addressing the media on the SSNIT’s database merger with NIA, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang opined that, “previously, SSNIT incurred a cost of seven dollars per printing a biometric card for a Member.”

Meanwhile, in self-analysis, he further noted that “upon SSNIT merging its database with NIA, it would only spend 60 pesewas per person and thus, incur a total cost of GH¢3 million for enrolling 30 million of its members onto the NIA database. That would save over $17 million for SSNIT.”

In addition, Dr Ofori-Tenkorang highlighted other potential benefits that will accrue beneficiaries as a result of the merger. He mentioned that, the merger would bring about 17 benefits to beneficiaries. Some of these benefits include, easy and quick adjudication of pension related issues, verification and authentication of individuals’ identity, expansion of SSNIT services and preventing of fraud.

Another benefit that the Director-General mentioned was that the NIA integration helps in business and banking transactions. Moreover, other benefits include, land title registration, reduce cost and time of accessing social services, and to facilitate SIM card registration.

However, Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said since it started the merger from Monday, June 28, it had integrated 510,102 databases of its members onto the NIA’s database system for easy verification and authentication of their identity.

He further explained that individuals who provided their SSNIT numbers to NIA when registering for the Ghana-Card had been integrated automatically into the NIA database system, adding that 495000 people had been enrolled so far.

However, Professor Kenneth Agyemang-Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), in a presentation on its activities and achievements, averred that it had registered 15,581,283 people since it started mass registration for Ghana-Card in April 29, 2019 which ended on September 11, 2020.

Prof. Agyemang-Attafuah also noted that the Authority targeted to register 80 per cent of persons 15 years and above. However, he noted that as at the first quarter of 2020, it had exceeded its target and registered 84.4 percent of the population in that age bracket.

Meanwhile, he mentioned that more than 15.5 million NIA Cards were printed but 13.9 million issued so far and asked those who have not received theirs to visit the NIA Offices in the district he or she registered for collection.

Prof. Agyemang-Attafuah said the NIA’s database centre had been upgraded to a tier-three centre, robust and up to the international standards, which would stand the test of time.

The Ghana-Card, he said, had 128 kilobyte storage space and could be used for tracking all transactions carried out by the cardholder.

Meanwhile, individual SSNIT contributors could integrate their personal data with the NIA’s database system by dialling USSD Code *711*9# or visit SSNIT’s website: www.ssnit.org.gh to complete the integration process.

The integration and harmonisation of the databases of the two institutions is however expected to end this year on December 31, 2021.