The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Wisdom Kwaku Deku, says the Ghana Card is now accepted as a valid form of identification at more than 44,000 airports globally, describing it as a major milestone in Ghana’s national identity system.
He explained that the card has also gained recognition within the ECOWAS sub-region, where it is increasingly being used as a valid travel and identity document, improving cross-border verification and movement.
Mr. Deku made the disclosure during the Authority’s 20th anniversary celebration.
He noted that the NIA has registered more than 19.4 million Ghanaians aged 15 years and above, while over 18.7 million Ghana Cards have been issued nationwide. In addition, more than 229,000 foreign nationals have been enrolled into the national identification system.
“By insisting on free issuance at the inception of the National Identification System project, we dismantled economic barriers and eliminated identity silos across the country,” he said.
According to him, the NIA’s Identity Verification System Platform has processed over 200 million biometric verification requests to date, reflecting growing reliance on the system across both public and private services.
Mr. Deku also announced the resumption of nationwide registration for children aged six to 14 years, adding that more than 90,000 children have already been registered in the Volta and Oti regions.
He further disclosed that proposed amendments currently before Parliament seek to make biometric verification mandatory for transactions, a move he said would strengthen the credibility, security and integrity of Ghana’s national identification system.