Prof Kenneth Attafuah, the Executive secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), has denied claims suggesting that the authority is intentionally frustrating some communities, particularly the opposition party’s strongholds in registering and accessing their Ghana Cards.
Prof Kenneth Attafuah was reacting to earlier reports which suggested that some communities including Adaklu in the Volta Region are being frustrated in their attempt to register and access the national cards.
“We have never and will never disadvantage people by not providing them with the Ghana Card, which is something they have a right to.”
Prof Kenneth Attafuah
The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority, meanwhile, expressed his disappointment about the reports that a section of the public is circulating.
“It is an unfortunate implication for somebody to purport that the NIA is doing something to frustrate a specific community; nobody stands to gain if our citizens don’t get the cards.”
Prof Kenneth Attafuah
Prof. Attafuah underscored the importance of the Ghana card and iterated that no one will deny any Ghanaian the opportunity to have Ghana card which is an important means of identification.
“It is clear that without the Ghana Card, our revenue mobilisation will be hamstrung. So, why then would we want to disadvantage a specific people when the nation will suffer in turn?”
Prof Kenneth Attafuah
Over 16 million Ghanaians have registered for Ghana Cards
The Executive Secretary disclosed that over 16.9 million Ghanaians have so far been registered for the Ghana Card as at last month July 2022. This number, he said, will grow steadily as registration is still ongoing across the country.
Prof Attafuah stated that he is unhappy about some persons who have resorted to obtaining police statement to get their cards reprinted. He explained that the situation is adding up to the pressure on the NIA staffs.
“We have as at July, [2022] registered 16,936,934 Ghanaians [16 years and above] onto the national identity register, we have printed the cards of 16,743,832 Ghanaians.
“We have issued 16,674,131. As at 13th July [2022], we had uncollected cards of 895,140. It is important to contrast this with the situation before February 2017 where only 4,554,520 Ghanaians have been registered between 2018 July and February 2017.”
Prof Kenneth Attafuah
Attafuah added that, “Only 2,719,425 cards had been printed and 900,000 cards had been issued between that period.”
Minister of Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful also hit back at critics blaming her for challenges with the Ghana card registration, noting that she is not responsible for the challenges of the Ghana card.
“The Ministry of Communications and Digitalization is not the supervisory Ministry for the NIA even though we collaborate and work with them. My hapless self has been roundly vilified for Ghana card challenges which I am not responsible for.”
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
Majority of Ghanaians have logistical challenges in obtaining their NIA Ghana cards.
