The National Identification Authority (NIA) says it has cut off the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) from using its Identity Verification Service (IVS) because the GRA owes over GH¢376 million and has made no effort to pay or agree on a payment plan.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on August 5, 2025, the NIA’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Williams Ampomah Darlas, said the Authority is disappointed that the GRA has ignored multiple attempts to resolve the issue.

The disconnection, which took effect on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, followed several failed efforts by the NIA to get the GRA to settle its debt.

The IVS system allows both government and private organisations to verify individuals’ identities using the Ghana Card in real time.

With the GRA now disconnected, there are growing concerns that services relying on the platform for ID checks could be disrupted.

According to Darlas, after several failed attempts, the NIA escalated the matter, even informing Parliament.

“We have written to them [GRA] countless times, but we didn’t get a response. We decided to escalate the matter, we even took it to Parliament. We waited for a while, but GRA still wasn’t responding, so we gave them our final notice on July 29, 2025, warning that if they failed to show commitment, we would block their access. We didn’t hear from them, so effective August 5, we blocked them,” he said.

He also revealed that other organisations , including the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Lands Commission, and Hubtel, were accessing NIA’s data through the GRA without the NIA’s permission, which violates data use protocols and the law.

He said it is disappointing that the GRA is not only refusing to pay its debt but is also enabling third parties to use the NIA’s services illegally.

“This situation is seriously affecting our operations. It's frustrating because we know how damaging the consequences could be,” he added.

The NIA is now calling for urgent action and accountability to ensure the system remains functional and sustainable.

DR/MA