NIA Withholds More Than 100,000 Ghana Cards Over Multiple Registration

• The National Identification Authority (NIA) has discovered over 100,000 Ghanaians allegedly attempting to register multiple times
• The NIA Executive Secretary, Professor Kenneth Attafuah, confirmed the authority has initiated its investigations into the matter
• The NIA also initiated plans to extend registration services to Ghanaians abroad in collaboration with the Foreign Affairs Ministry

The National Identification Authority (NIA) has initiated investigations into more than 100,000 Ghanaians for allegedly trying to register for a Ghana Card multiple times.

The NIA’s Executive Secretary, Professor Kenneth Attafuah, appeared before the Assurance Committee of Parliament and said that his outfit had enrolled about 18.2 million Ghanaians on the national registry.

However, nearly 560,000 Ghana cards are yet to be issued.

He also disclosed that 110,936 Ghanaians have had their cards become delinquent and are being investigated after trying to register multiple times.

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Meanwhile, per MyJoyOnline, the NIA said it has initiated plans to extend its registration services to Ghanaians abroad with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.

The initiative is set to run a pilot in Ottawa, Canada, where it hopes to test the robustness and acuteness of the NIA’s technical system.

“The whole registration of Ghanaians overseas is based on internet use. People going online. Applying online, making the payment online, and then presenting themselves physically,” he said.

NIA increases charges for registration

Earlier, the National Identification Authority (NIA) increased the charges for registration services for the Ghana Card.

The charge for first-time applicants remains free.

The NIA outlined the new charges in a Facebook post, ranging from GH¢125 to GH¢365 for Ghanaians.

For example, a nationality update costs at the authority's premium centre costs GH¢365 while charges for foreigners will range from $27 to $155, depending on the service needed.

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The new fees will take effect from May 1, 2024.

NIA staff embark on strike

YEN.com.gh also reported that NIA workers had embarked on an indefinite strike action from June 10, 2024, following a unanimous council decision.

Initially scheduled for March 24, 2024, the strike was deferred following an intervention by the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations.

However, on June 9, 2024, workers said government's promise to improve conditions of service for NIA staff had not yet come to fruition, per Adom Online.

The NIA staff further said the government had acted in bad faith throughout the negotiation process, hence the declaration to embark on strike action.

Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh