Photocopying or simply inspecting a Ghana Card to verify someone’s identity is now an offence under newly amended National Identity Register Regulations.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Wisdom Yayra Koku Deku, announced that biometric verification is now mandatory for all transactions that require Ghana Card verification following the passage of amendments to Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2111.
Under the new rules, organisations that fail to use biometric verification commit an offence and, upon summary conviction, could be fined between 500 and 2,000 penalty units. Individuals who breach the law also face fines ranging from 50 to 500 penalty units.
The amendments, which were laid before Parliament three months ago, have now been finalised and published, making the new regulations legally enforceable.
The NIA said the sector minister is expected to brief the public in the coming days on how the amended regulations will be implemented.
Organisations seeking to connect to the NIA’s Identity Verification Platform have been asked to apply by emailing idverification@nia.gov.gh.
The new measures are aimed at strengthening identity verification and reducing fraud by making biometric authentication the standard for all transactions requiring Ghana Card verification.
