Chiefs participate in workshop on NIS

Kumasi, Feb 28, GNA - A day's workshop on the National Identification System (NIS) was on Tuesday organized for members of the National House of Chiefs (NHC) in Kumasi.

The workshop, which was organized by the National Identification Authority (NIA) aimed at providing the chiefs with an understanding of the key features of the NIS as part of the strategy to build working partnership for its implementation.

In an address, Professor Ernest Dumor, Executive Secretary of the NIA, said the NIS was imperative for good governance and democracy as well as the creation of a safe and humane society in the country. He said the project, which sought to establish a national database for all citizens both living in and outside the country as well as foreigners resident in Ghana legally, would help transform the way things were done in the country.

Prof. Dumor said the Authority was now awaiting the passage of the necessary legislative framework to enable it to begin intensive public education and fieldwork.

He noted that chiefs played a crucial role in the socio-political affairs of the country and there was therefore the need to educate them to understand the features of the NIS to enable them play advocacy roles to ensure the successful implementation of the project in order to leave a legacy for posterity.

Odeneho Gyapong Ababio, President of the House, said chiefs were very much concerned about issues that touched on the well being of the people in the country and for that matter, the chieftaincy institution had a unique position to contribute towards the realization of the objectives of the project.

He said the implementation of the project in the country would not only heal several of the ills that hampered development, but also lead to peace, orderliness and positive advancement in the social, political and economic lives of the people.

Odeneho Ababio appealed to the chiefs to do everything in their power to relay information on the project to the people in the various traditional areas in the country.