Akufo Addo launches new national ID card

President Nana Akufo- Addo has inaugurated Ghana’s new National Identification system, today September 15, 2017, in an effort to provide secure authentication and identification for citizens.

This follows the National Identification Authority’s readiness to embark on a new identification process.

President Akufo-Addo today was the first to receive the “GhanaCard”, which will be followed by a mass registration starting with the security agencies, schools, banks and the general population in all the regions.

The President had earlier given the NIA, 15th September as the deadline for the rollout of the process of introducing the new national identification cards.

The GhanaCard would be a valid verification document issued to every Ghanaian and permanently resident foreign national living everywhere for the purpose of identification.

The new card is a smart card that is multifunctional and will be valid for 10 years. It uses three types of biometric technology including fingerprint, facial and eye identification unique to the card holder.

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It is a 128 Gigabyte capacity card with the ECOWAS logo and will be functional also as a passport in the sub region when the Passport Office, which is one of the partners of the NIA, enables the function.

It also has functions that can enable other partner institutions, such as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), to serve their clients when also later enabled.

“It will be free at the first issuance. However, when it gets lost, it will be replaced for a fee,” acting Executive secretary of the NIA, Prof. Ken Agyeman Attafuah said.

“The new Ghana Card will be the only document for the proof of one’s identity or citizenship or for foreigners resident in Ghana,” he added.