Government starts national ID project
The Government has begun the process of implementing a comprehensive national identification project.
This is in furtherance of the New Patriotic Party (NPP’s) long-held campaign pledge to build a database of Ghanaians and other nationals resident in Ghana.
At a broad consultative meeting, chaired by the Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Wednesday in Accra, all the major stakeholders underscored the need to have a single national database to aid policy planning and implementation.
The stakeholders include the Births and Deaths Registry, National Identification Authority, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Statistical Service, National Health Insurance Authority, Ghana Revenue Authority and the National Development Planning Commission.
Vice President Bawumia said there had been too much talk around the issue of national ID cards but very little effective action or results had been achieved even though $50 million had been spent on the project since 2009.
A single national ID system would, amongst other things, track immunisation of children and health care of citizens, issue drivers licenses and passports linked to digital identity registry, eliminate ghost names from the civil service payroll, and reduce cost of maintaining multiple identity databases, the Vice President said.
Four committees – Legal, Technical, Financial and Oversight – are to shepherd the project.
Also in attendance at the meeting were officials from the Ministry of Finance, Ghana Revenue Authority, Social Security and National Insurance Trust, Electoral Commission, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems Limited and industry experts, and the Minister designate of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful.
The National Identification project is expected to be completed within the first year of the NPP Administration in fulfillment of a manifesto pledge to complete the registration of all residents in Ghana under the National Identification Scheme.
This would ensure the establishment of an integrated Data Warehouse of databases from key public institutions using the National Identification System as the unique identifier for data items, and automating the processes involved in accessing public services at both national and local government offices.
The NPP Government is convinced that the National ID Scheme would help formalize the economy through the establishment of a national database using the National Identification System as the primary identifier.
It would be linked to the databases of institutions such as the Police, National Health Insurance Authority, Passport Office, Immigration, the courts, Ghana Revenue Authority and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority.
Source: GNA