Ghanaians Abroad to be Registered – NIA

The National Identification Authority (NIA), has disclosed that Ghanaians abroad will not be left out in the ongoing national registration exercise which commenced last week with President Nana Akufo-Addo taking his card.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, Executive Secretary of NIA, Prof. Ken Agyeman Attafuah, said his team will liaise with Ghana’s missions abroad to ensure that Ghanaians in other countries are registered and issued with instant ID cards.

“We are expecting to conclude all these in October 2018. In course of this work, when we are about six months into it, we will talk with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to begin the registration of Ghanaians abroad as required by law. So we will work through the Ghana High Commission abroad and establish modalities for registering Ghanaians across the world,” he added.

Prof. Attafuah explained that, his outfit will register personnel of the various security services as well as former presidents and the judiciary within the first phase of the project, which is expected to be completed before November 15.

“Before the 15th of November [2017], we expect to register the entire security sector and service commanders in the Greater Accra Region. By that I mean Ghana Armed Forces, Prisons, Police, their veterans and all of those. Then we will also register the judicial service, we will register the three former presidents and their households and offices. We will register the flagstaff House, the seat of government,” he added.

Prof. Attafuah said the phase two of the project which will continue after November 15, will be extended to schools, the banking sector and Ghanaian residents within the Greater Accra Region.

He added that his team will later continue the registrations in the Central Region and proceed to the Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Eastern, Volta, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions respectively.

He said NIA is hoping to complete the registrations by October 2018.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had earlier been issued with the card to commence the registration of Ghanaians onto the rebranded NIA system.

The National ID scheme is expected to formalize the economy through the establishment of a national database linking the Passport Office, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Ghana Revenue Authority among others.

Source: Citifmonline