1.5million Identification cards still at NIA – Report

About 1.5 million Identification Cards that have the particulars of registered persons still remain in the custody of the National Identification Authority (NIA), a 2014 Report of the Auditor-General has revealed.

The Cards were printed in 2008 and were expected to have been distributed to Ghanaians for national identification purposes.

A total of about 3million Cards were printed for distribution.

However, the distribution exercise was hit with funding challenges with the Authority being able to deliver about half of the Cards.

The inability of the Authority to distribute the Cards, according to the Report, has defeated the purpose for which the Cards were printed.

The National Identification Authority (NIA) was set up in 2003 under the Office of the President with the mandate to issue national ID cards and manage the National Identification System (NIS).

This resulted in the passing of the National Identification Authority Act, 2006 (Act 707) to give it the necessary legal premises on which to operate.

The National Identity Register Act, 2008 (Act 750) was also passed to give authorization for collection of personal and biometric data and to ensure the protection of privacy and personal information of enrollees.