The three living former Presidents of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama, will soon be issued with the National Identification Authority (NIA) cards also known as Ghana cards.
The Executive Secretary of NIA, Prof. Ken Agyeman Attafuah, who made the revelation on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, said the cards will be issued to them instantly after their details are captured onto the NIA system.
Mr. Attafuah noted that the security agencies as well as the judicial service and staff of the Flagstaff House, will all be registered within the first phase of the project which will end on or before November 15, 2017.
“Before the 15th of November, 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 in hat category. 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.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was the first to have 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.
October 2018 deadline
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, where every Ghanaian will be issued an instant ID card.
He added that his team will later continue the registration 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.
Ghanaians abroad to be registered
The NIA Executive Secretary also disclosed that Ghanaians living abroad will not be left out.
“We are expecting to conclude all these in October 2018. In the 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 Commissions abroad and establish modalities for registering Ghanaians across the world,” he added.
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