In the latest assurance on this project, Dr. Bawumia said enough measures have been put in place to ensure a successful roll-out of the identification cards system.

[contextly_sidebar id=”lSILHHfJrIRgaYJ1VrOAseGDnwwrFdJf”]The National Identification System is one of the three key pillars on which the government is seeking to capitalize on in formalizing the economy.

There have also been calls for the reproduction of new ID cards to be linked to a central database base to be used as the official state ID of any Ghanaian.

Speaking at the Ghana-Norway Business Forum in Accra, Dr. Bawumia said “a lot of work has been done and all things being equal, we expect a rollout of Ghana’s National ID system next month [April].”

“This means we are going to provide unique identification to everybody in Ghana, whether you are a foreigner or a citizen. We will have unique ID numbers and this will automatically transform into your tax identification number so when you don’t file your taxes, we know,” he explained.

In December 2017, Dr. Bawumia’s office stated that the rollout would begin in January 2018 though it was noted that the promise was contingent on the maturity of the Legislative Instrument (LI) on the policy before Parliament.

But January 2018 came with an explanation from President Nana Akufo-Addo that the Legislative Instrument which would have ensured the implementation of the programme was reviewed by Parliament after it was concluded that it could not effectively support the system.

The new Legislative Instrument was later prepared and submitted to Parliament when it resumed sitting in January.

The NIA is engaged in a PPP arrangement because of the limited investment from government.

The Acting Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Ken Attafuah, believes the PPP and a new revenue model will ensure that this second incarnation of the National Identification System succeeds.

In the first failed attempt, between July 2008 and May 2010, the NIA began mass registration of Ghanaians for the unique ID cards.

A total of 11 million people in six regions were registered in the process.

Amidst various challenges, the collection of the cards started later in 2011 although a significant number of Ghanaians never saw their cards.

But a few years after, some state institutions and banks rejected it as an unrecognized state identification card.

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By: Sammi Wiafe & Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The President had said at the first Media Encounter in July 2017, that the National ID system would be up and running by the end of that year.

[contextly_sidebar id=”1fTx6LBpuIc3qS7URVW5neMmhYSAyTjO”]However, 17 days into 2018, the National ID system is yet to be implemented with many calling into question, the government’s commitment to ensuring that the system works.

According to the President, the Legislative Instrument which would have ensured the implementation of the programme was reviewed by Parliament after it was concluded that it could not effectively support the system.

He, however stated that, a new Legislative Instrument had been prepared and would be submitted to Parliament when it resumes sitting later in January.

“The law under which the programme was going to be unveiled was at the last minute subjected to another review and found to be inadequate so the process has to take place and be implemented under an enabling law,” President Akufo-Addo said in response to a question posed by host of the Citi Breakfast Show, Bernard Avle, at a Media Encounter on Wednesday marking his first year in office.

“A new L.I is ready for submission to Parliament when the House reassembles on the 23rd of January. After the 21 working days period is over, it’ll be ready to go into motion.”

The President denied any assertions that the implementation of the system was not a priority for his government, stating that a comprehensive and functional National ID system was vital for his administration.

“But it is certainly not on the back burner because it is such an important aspect of our own overall strategy going forward,” he insisted.

The Office of the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, indicated in December that the National Identification Authority (NIA) would issue the National ID cards from January.

The National Identification system is one of the three key pillars on which the NPP government is seeking to capitalize and drive financial inclusion.

Aside from helping to identify Ghanaians, the policy is also to aid in formulating subsequent policies that are aimed at improving the livelihoods of Ghanaians.

But the government has postponed the implementation of the policy to 2018 after missing its September 2017 deadline.

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post ‘Delayed’ National ID still crucial to Govt’s plans – Nana Addo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, this will make life better for the citizenry in many ways.

The National Identification Authority (NIA), was set up by former President John Kufuor in 2003, to put in place a foolproof system that captures comprehensively the identities of Ghanaians and foreign nationals in the country.

[contextly_sidebar id=”BfQptS8mSslRU0tvIH9uiyI99L4MNmPU”]The NIA was to merge the various national identification documents from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Passport Office and the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) into one database.

However, many years down the line the objective is yet to be achieved.

Addressing the press on Thursday, the 2016 presidential candidate of the PPP, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, said streamlining the national identification system will facilitate all other aspects of national life.

“PPP believes that the mandatory use of the resultant national identification number by all citizens from birth until death, will help greatly to bring about greater discipline into all aspects of our national lives. So all areas; banking, broadening the national revenue base, criminal justice, voters registration and all others will benefit from the implementation of the national identification system.”

“It is our understanding that a lot of work was done and progress made in this direction by the National Identification Authority, therefore we are asking the incoming administration to provide adequate financial, human and technical support to the national identification authority so that this work can be completed by the end of 2017,” he added.

NPP to complete national ID system by 2017’s end – Nana Addo 

The incoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration has already promised that it intends to complete the National Identification system within its first year in office, President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo has said.

Nana Akufo-Addo, who was speaking at a meeting with the Private Enterprise Federation at the Ghana Institute of Management And Public Administration (GIMPA) said the system will help ensure the country has a solid database.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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Nana Akufo-Addo, who was speaking at a meeting with the Private Enterprise Federation at the Ghana Institute of Management And Public Administration (GIMPA) said the system will help ensure the country has a solid database.

“The National Identification system is the primary identifier with linkages to the databases of institutions such as the police, the National Health Insurance Scheme, Passport office, immigration, courts, the Ghana Revenue and the Driver Licensing Authority.”

“The process of giving our country a National Identification system began president Kufuor’s time. Eight years later, nothing has been done about it and it is our intention that within the very first year of our mandate, we intend to complete the process of national identification,” the President-elect said.

The National Identification Authority (NIA) was set up by former President John Kufuor in 2003 to manage the identities of Ghanaians and foreign nationals in the country.

The NIA was to merge the various national identification documents from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Passport Office and the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in one database.

IMANI’s challenge

Policy think tank, IMANI Ghana, has already listed, among other things, streamlining and harmonising the various identification system as one of the key issues the incoming NPP should address with urgency.

This will allow Ghanaians to use one identification card for multiple systems thus removing the inconveniences, inefficiencies and the monetary costs of deploying parallel infrastructure, the think tank has indicated.

IMANI noted, as an example, that the Electoral Commission’s (EC) biometric identification system cost $400m but $250m off this figure could have been cut by harmonising the various identification systems.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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