The National Identification Authority (NIA) has commenced an expedited printing of the over 541,000 Ghana cards accumulated since July 2022.
The authority, in a statement, said the backlog arose from a shortage of blank cards due to financial challenges.
It also revealed that preparatory works for the expedited printing started on Wednesday, March 15, with the configuration of printers, print servers, and monitors as well as the deployment of additional staff from its regional and district offices to augment staff capacity at the head office.
“The commencement of the expedited printing follows the payment of GH¢100 million by the Government of Ghana (GoG) to CalBank PLC, which then caused the release of a number of blank cards to NIA on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
“The printing of the blank cards is expected to last for 11 days, ending on 29th March 2023,” the statement said.
NIA is hopeful that at the end of the exercise, cards will be made available at its Regional and District Offices nationwide for onward distribution.
The authority assured the general public that it remains committed to serving with dignity and integrity while remaining focused, coherent and rigorous as a responsive and responsible public sector institution.