The Africa Center for Digital Transformation (ACDT) has commended the National Identification Authority (NIA) on plans to introduce an e-wallet feature on the Ghana card.

The new feature will allow the Ghana Card to function like an ATM card, expanding its use beyond identification to digital financial transactions and payment services.

This announcement follows months of policy engagement, thought leadership, and public campaigns by ACDT, which highlighted the card’s potential to transform Ghana’s financial landscape.

According to ACDT, the Ghana Card could serve as a secure national digital identity, a financial access tool to boost banking and payments, and a platform for interoperability within Ghana’s digital economy.

Earlier this year, ACDT published several opinion pieces and engaged key stakeholders to push for the card’s full integration into banking operations.

ACDT has commended the NIA for what it describes as a “forward-looking policy direction” and pledged its support for initiatives that promote financial inclusion, digital innovation, and socioeconomic growth across the continent.

“This development is not only a win for Ghana but also a model for other African nations seeking to leverage digital identity systems to accelerate economic development,” ACDT stated.

In a statement, ACDT noted that the development is not only a win for Ghana but also sets a strong example for other African countries seeking to leverage digital identity systems to accelerate socioeconomic growth.

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According to the Executive Secretary of the Authority, Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, the government has not fully settled these outstanding payments.

Early on this year, some partners of NIA including Identity Management Systems, withheld over 3.5 million cards due to the government’s failure to clear its debts.

Although a payment of 100 million cedis by the Finance Minister led to the release of these cards, the accumulation of debt including interest over the past six months is threatening the registration process.

On the back of this, Prof Attafuah emphasised, “The government of Ghana owes us approximately $80 million, and this is still in USD, so it’s a significant sum of money that the government needs to pay.”

He also noted that the debt had initially been around $90 million and had increased due to additional arrears, which were part of a government support agreement.

“Government of Ghana was so convinced about the viability of this project and it is still extremely viable that it undertook to basically underwrite any revenues that should have gone to the private partner for any given month if the project doesn’t generate revenue,” he said.

The Electoral Commission (EC) is also planning a mass voter registration exercise for next year in preparation for the 2024 general election.

A proposed Constitutional Instrument (C.I) is seeking to rely solely on the Ghana Card as the primary means of identification.

To this end, Prof. Attafuah stated that the NIA possesses reliable data that can aid the EC in conducting a credible registration exercise.

He explained, “With a click of a button, NIA can provide that data to EC. There’s no debate about that. The technical systems and arrangements required for this have all been agreed upon, so there’s no issue. We’ve successfully collaborated with SSNIT, NHIA, Controller, and numerous other institutions without any problems.”

Additionally, the Executive Secretary of NIA revealed that the Authority, in collaboration with the Births and Deaths Registry, would begin issuing Ghana Cards to newborn babies following a successful pilot programme.

He explained that at birth, babies are assigned a unique serial number by the Births and Deaths Registry, linking their birth certificate to the Ghana Card.

Prof Attafuah clarified that, this initiative aims to eliminate controversies surrounding citizenship, age, and identity management issues in Ghana.

“We’ll be protecting the boundaries, policing the boundaries of Ghanaian citizenship. We will evade forever the issues of age,” he said.

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The NIA will provide this service free of charge to Ghanaians aged 15 years and above. 

This initiative allows eligible Ghanaians who have not registered for the Ghana Card to do so.

Registration and issuance will be available at eight out of the NIA’s 16 Regional Offices and all 276 District Offices across the country.

In a statement, NIA noted some of its regional offices will not be a part of the registration process due to its premium service.

They include Kumasi, Sunyani, Techiman, Koforidua, Tamale, Ho, Takoradi, and its Sefwi Wiawso offices.

The exercise, according to NIA, has been necessitated by receiving 484,000 blank cards from technical partners Identity Management Systems II Limited (IMS II) and CalBank PLC, following an initiative by the Ministry of Finance.

The registration process will occur in two phases, thus restricted registration for public sector workers on government payroll.

This will start on August 28, 2023, and conclude on September 8, 2023.

The goal is to verify these workers on the payroll system of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department using their Ghana cards. 

Applicants are therefore required to present their July 2023 payslips alongside mandatory registration documents.

The second phase is the open registration, which will start on September 11 for all Ghanaians aged 15 years and above who have not applied for the Ghana Card. 

During this phase, Ghanaians can also replace lost, stolen, or damaged cards and correct personal information at any of the NIA’s 286 Operational Offices across the country. 

However, while first-time registration is free, there is a GHS 34.50 statutory fee for card replacements or record corrections.

Additionally, NIA offers Special Mobile Registration services for households and institutions with specific fees. 

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Read the full statement below:

The decision by Management to dismiss the officers followed thorough investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, stationed at NIA’s headquarters in Acera.

This included the interdiction of the affected officers, the appointment of a Disciplinary Committee of Inquiry to provide a hearing for each officer in accordance with the law, and Management’s subsequent acceptance of the Disciplinary Committee’s recommendations.

The allegations against the dismissed officers included demanding and accepting unauthorized fees from Ghana Card applicants, as well as manipulating the registration system for personal gain.

These acts of proven misconduct took place at NIA’s Head Office in Accra, Subin Sub-Metro District Office in Kumasi, Western Regional Office in Takoradi, Registrar General’s Department Office at Accra Central, Adentan Municipal Office and La-Nkwantanang Municipal Office.

The actions of the officers not only contravened the fundamental principles of integrity and transparency that drive NIA but also eroded the very essence of NIA’s purpose namely; the promotion of trustworthiness, dependability and credibility in public service delivery. The conduct of the dismissed officers also brought the image of NIA into disrepute.

Speaking on the matter during a recent round of visits to NIA’s 16 Regional Offices nationwide, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, expressed NIA’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and ethical conduct.

The dismissal of the officers serves as a strong signal that respect for the fundamental human rights of NIA staff will go hand in hand with the swift and certain application of the law, aiming to establish a strong, ethical, agile, and professional national institution committed to building a country of which citizens ean be truly proud.

The Executive Secretary pledged to implement additional measures to prevent such misconduct from occurring in the future.

This includes enhancing internal oversight mechanisms, conducting regular integrity training for staff, and establishing a channel for citizens to report any instances of misconduct or irregularity they may encounter during their interactions with the NIA.

To him, the statement by the NIA is “very questionable.”

“The NIA is simply affirming what I put out on this very show. I’ve never said they issued two cards. So what is this attempt to create this assertion that I have misled the public or I have peddled falsehood?” he quizzed on Accra-based Metro TV.

Mr Ablakwa added, “it is not enough for you to claim that as an institution because he showed up with an ID you have done nothing wrong.”

He explained, “if you read the National Identification Authority Act 2006, act 707 there’s a 2017 amendment if you look at section 2b, the law is clear in section b, the object and functions of the authority are to ensure the accuracy, integrity confidentiality and security of data collected by the authority.”

Making reference to the NIA’s statement, he said when applying for a national ID “you can be challenged. You go through an interview process even if you have valid documents.”

He went on: “Part of the funding is meant to pay people called AROs (Assistant Registration Officers). The duty of the Assistant Registration Officer is to interview you.”

The NIA has said officials register applicants based on the names the applicants present to the officials, as captured in the required registration documents such as their birth certificates or passports.

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In view of this, the NIA has maintained there is nothing mysterious about Kwabena Adu Gyamfi being issued with a Ghana Card though Mr Ablakwa knows him as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.

In addition, the NIA said Mr Ablakwa has not presented any evidence that there is a person known as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng whose biometrics exist in the NIA’s database with which he made his rare and comprehensive analysis.