The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Wisdom Kwaku Deku, says the Ghana Card is now accepted as a valid form of identification at over 44,000 airports around the world.
He described this as a major achievement for Ghana’s national identification system.
He also noted that the Ghana Card now enjoys recognition within the ECOWAS sub-region as a valid travel document.
This, he said, has made cross-border travel and identity checks easier for citizens.
Mr Deku made these remarks during the 20th anniversary celebration of the National Identification Authority.
He revealed that the NIA has registered more than 19.4 million Ghanaians aged 15 and above. The Authority has also issued over 18.7 million Ghana Cards across the country.
In addition, he said the system has captured more than 229,000 foreign nationals.
“By insisting on free issuance at the inception of the National Identification System project, we dismantled economic barriers and eliminated identity silos across the country,” he stated.
Mr Deku further explained that the NIA’s Identity Verification System Platform has handled over 200 million biometric verification requests so far.
He added that the Authority has restarted nationwide registration for children between the ages of six and 14.
In the Volta and Oti regions alone, more than 90,000 children have already received their Ghana Cards.
The NIA boss also disclosed that proposed legal changes currently before Parliament aim to make biometric verification compulsory for transactions.
He said this would strengthen the security and reliability of Ghana’s national identification system.
