NIA to pilot registration of Ghanaians abroad February 2024-Prof. Attafuah

The National Identification Authority (NIA) has announced plans to initiate the registration of Ghanaians abroad in seven cities as part of a pilot programme starting in February next year.

This collaborative effort with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration aims to extend the accessibility of the National Identity card to Ghanaians residing outside the country.

During the second edition of the Made-in-Ghana Summit 2023, Professor Ken Agyemang Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, outlined the upcoming registration initiatives.

The NIA, in collaboration with Identity Management Systems (IMS) and the National Health Insurance Authority, will commence the registration of Ghanaians aged 6 to 14 in January 2024.

Additionally, a joint effort with the Birth and Death Registry and Ghana Health Service will target the registration of Ghanaians aged 0 to 6 years during the same period.

Prof. Attafuah emphasized that this presents an opportunity for individuals who were unable to register for the National Identity card since the commencement of the exercise in 2019.

Addressing the theme of the event, “The Role of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in Sustainable Digital Transformation,” Professor Attafuah stressed the importance of sustainable PPP, highlighting key factors such as delineation of partner roles, timely funding commitments, technological updates, an effective framework agreement for continuous knowledge transfer, and strong political will.

He underscored the need for stable leadership within institutions involved in PPP, citing the period between July 2009 and February 2017 when the NIA had five different chief executives.

Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication, encouraged industry players to engage academia in designing and implementing PPP agreements to expedite the digitalization agenda effectively.

Dignitaries present at the summit included Mrs. Jemima Oware, Registrar of Companies; Prof. Kwaku Appiah-Adu, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Vice President, and Mr. Moses Baiden Jnr, Chairman Margins ID Group.