Starting in 2023, Ghanaians under the age of 15 will be required to register with the National Identification Authority (NIA). Abudu Abdul Ganiyu, the NIA's interim head of corporate affairs, said this on Prime Morning on Monday.
He said that the majority of people who conduct business and require the Ghana card are over the age of 15, which is why it was decided to postpone the registration of those under the age of 15 to the next year.
The action comes in response to the Minister of Communication and Digitalization's decision to prolong the SIM card registration period to September 30, 2022, allowing more Ghanaians to obtain the Ghana card, the sole document needed. The bulk of consumers are reportedly unable to register their SIM cards since the Authority claims it has not yet sent over 800,000 printed cards.
Mr. Ganiyu thinks postponing registration of those under the age of 15 will free them up to assist the vast majority of those who most urgently want the card.
"The age restriction is 15 years and up because those people are the ones who typically conduct business using an ID card. For instance, whether it concerns a bank account, a pension, or the registration of a SIM card... As a result, the NIA has been able to register nearly 90% of people in this age group.
"We will start enrolling Ghanaians who are under the age of 15 during the course of the year or early next year," he continued.
In addition, Mr. Abdul Ganiyu gave the assurance that the NIA will continue to register people since it has established 292 permanent regional and district offices around the nation to make it possible for the majority of Ghanaians to apply for the Ghana card.
"NIA is a governmental organisation that is required by law to establish permanent regional and district offices that allow Ghanaians to constantly register and that enable us to continue providing what we refer to as Identity Management Services. There is no deadline for NIA registration, he noted.
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