Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), says the Authority is poised to clear all backlogs and register new people if the Ghana card will be used for the 2024 general election.
“There’s ample time, there’s solid technology, expertise, leadership and will… If Parliament gives the Electoral Commission the go ahead, we are ready,” he said.
Prof Attafuah, who said this in an engagement with the media, said: ” It will be a tragedy if we do not use Ghana card for election 2024.
“There’s no reasonable basis for that not to happen.”
He said because, the NIA had registered 17.3 million out of the 19 million projection with ” a lot of those eligible to vote captured”.
The Executive Secretary said those who had not been registered and above 18 years and those who would turn 18 years could be registered in six months.
“… Ours is continuous registration and we have offices in every district and NIA has shown capacity to open additional registration points.
These measures will be introduced when necessary.”
Prof Attafuah also said the Authority would begin the registration of Ghanaians abroad next year February.
He said the registration, a statutory requirement, would be done by Ghana’s missions and at a fee to the registrants.
Prof Attafuah said Ghanaians in the West African sub-region would pay the equivalent of 30 dollars with those in the rest of Africa paying slightly lower than those Euro-American countries.
Ghanaians in Euro-American countries will pay 50 dollars.
He said the payment was part of the revenue model that underpinned the public private engagement on the Identity Management System and reason the Authority was able to give out the cards free to Ghanaians in Ghana.
The Authority will also start registering Ghanaians age six years and above and Ghanaians in detention from February next year.
The Executive Secretary said so far, the NIA had registered 17,316,762 Ghanaians, printed 16,701,636 cards and issued 16,016,464 cards.
He said the Authority had so enrolled 164,405 foreigners, printed and issued 164,405 cards to them.
The Authority has started the registration of refugees in the country.