Ghana card, voter registrations to resume as president lifts restrictions

The controversial registration exercises by the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Identification Authority (NIA) will soon resume following the easing of restrictions on public and social gatherings by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

In his 10th televised address to the nation on the Coronavirus pandemic, on Sunday, May 31, the president urged institutions to adhere to safety protocols in their activities.

“...Constitutional and statutory bodies such as the Electoral Commission (EC), the National Commission for Civic Education, and the National Identification Authority, whose activities were exempted from the outset from these restrictions, must conduct their activities in accordance with social distancing and the necessary hygiene and safety protocols,” the president said.

The president on March 15, banned all public gatherings including conferences, workshops, funerals, festivals, political rallies, church activities, and other related events as part of measures to stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus (SARS-COV-2), in the country.

The National Identification Authority (NIA) which was organising its Ghana Card registration exercise at the time was compelled to suspend the exercise.

The NIA which was registering residents in the Eastern Region, the only region left for them to complete their nationwide registration exercise, is expected under this new presidential directive to complete that task by mid-June.

The EC has said that it will use data from the NIA to compile the register.