Explainer: Qualified foreigners can have the Ghana card
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has come under some fire for issuing the Ghana cards to non-Ghanaians.
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The case study is a video circulating on social media of a Chinese national who possessed a Ghana Card.
But YEN.com.gh checks with the NIA and the law that empowers them states categorically and clearly that the Ghana Card can also be issued to resident foreigners in the country.
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Section 2 (2) of NIA Act 2006, Act 707, and Section 7 of National Identity Register Act 2008, Act 750 states that a foreigner can lawfully possess the Ghana Card.
Further checks on the website of the NIA also revealed that the it is a government agency mandated to officially provide national identity credentials to all persons living in Ghana.
By this, the authority has the power to do so for both Ghanaians and foreigners.
So by the facts stated above, the NIA did no wrong in issuing the Ghana Card to a Chinese national like it’s been suggested.
By virtue of the legal provisions, NIA is mandated to register and issue Ghana cards not only to Ghanaians living in Ghana and abroad but also to foreigners legally resident in Ghana.
That said, it is also important to note that the cards issued to a Ghanaian is different from those issued to resident foreigners in the country.
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The Ghana Cards issued to Ghanaians had both ECOWAS Identity boldly printed with ECOWAS and the Ghana flag at the top left and right corners respectively.
While the card issued to foreigners had boldly printed on its face in red “NON CITIZEN” and it is also stated clearly in the National Identity Register (database).
Also, the Ghana Card issued to Ghanaians is valid for 10-years and that of the non-citizens is valid for one year, renewable annually.
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Furthermore, eligible foreigners pay a fee of 120 dollars to register and acquire the Ghana Card and 60 dollars for renewal.
YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa has expressed his disappointment in President Akufo-Addo’s decision to lift the lockdown in parts of the country.
According to the former Director-General of Ghana Health Service, the president should have instead, extended the lockdown to all parts of the country.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
