NIA Registers 5,746,242

The National Identification Authority (NIA) has so far registered 5,746,242 people, representing a 79 per cent coverage in its mass registration exercise of four regions � Central, Western, Eastern and Volta � since July 2008. In the Central Region, where the exercise began in July 2008, 1,232,671 people were captured in the mass registration exercise, out of an 'estimated number of 1,561,937; in the Western Region 1,586,581 people out (If an estimated population of 2,036,469 were registered, in the Eastern Region 1,582,886 out of an estimated 2,055,038 were registered, while 1,344, 104 out of an estimated 1,606,889 were registered in the Volta Region. This was disclosed at a press conference in Accra yesterday that was also to launch an educational campaign for the start of the registration exercise in the Greater Accra Region in about three weeks' time. The Executive Secretary of the NIA,Dr William Ahadzie, who addressed the press conference, later told the Daily Graphic that some mass mobile registration workstation (MRWs) operators had been asked to re-apply for their positions. The reason for that, he said, was to institute a head count of the MRWs operators who were still available to work with the authority. MRWs operators were employed as temporary staff to man the MRWs, which are portable computer units used for capturing biometric data and other pieces of information on individuals for the National Identification (NIS). The temporary nature of their jobs, Dr Ahadzie said, meant that some might have found more permanent forms of employment and the request for them to re-apply would help the authority to get to know the shortfall for the recruitment and training of new ones. The mass registration exercise in the Greater Accra Region will be in four phases, with each phase expected to last for two weeks. The first phase will cover the Dangme West and Dangme East districts and the Tema metropolis, including Adenta and Ashaiman. Ga East, West and South will follow in the second phase, while Okaikoi, Ablekuma and Ashiedu Keteke will conclude the third phase. The final phase will cover Osu Clottey, Ayawaso and Kpeshie, including Ledzukuku and Krowor. Dr Ahadzie said special registration teams would be deployed to ministries, hospitals and other strategic areas to register people in critical employment areas who might not have the chance to go to the registration centres. Some polling stations used by the Electoral Commission in the last election would be used as registration centres, he noted, with each centre having four officials of the NIA - a registration officer, a registration assistant, an MRWs operator and a queue controller. The registration officer and his assistant will help in taking down alpha-numeric information of individuals, such as the names, ages and residential addresses of individuals, while the MRWs operator will take the biometric data, that is, the digital picture, thumbprint and the digital signature of people. The queue controller will help manage the number of people at the centres for registration and respond to any request by applicants. Dr Ahadzie urged all residents to avail themselves of the opportunity to be registered in the mass registration exercise, saying that missing the opportunity might mean applicants might later pay to get themselves registered after the national exercise.