President Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed that the new national identification card tagged ‘GhanaCard’ with its unique features and functions posit as a vast improvement over the existing one.
At the official launch and live test of the National Identification System in Accra on Friday, September 16, the President said the card would meet all basic biometric needs of the country and would enable the harmonization and integration of all other data services in Ghana.
“I’m delighted to note that the new GhanaCard is a great improvement over the existing one and meets all international standards required of such identity document. The national identity card has been enhanced to take advantage of new technologies such as tactile element for the blind, chip embedding technology and iris capabilities in addition to taking all ten fingerprints of an African. With a 128 kilobyte capacity, the GhanaCard would enable other stakeholders to round their applications on the national identity card. Ultimately the card will replace the sectorial identity cards in circulation. It shall be the only card to be used in transactions where identification is required as provided by law”, the President enumerated.
The card, which would be rolled out in November and issued instantly in less than ten minutes, has an embedded passport that would allow the holder travel through the ECOWAS region without a physical passport. It would assist in the control of crime, enable fluid banking services across various platforms and ensure social inclusion of all citizens.
The multi-application GhanaCard that has a chipset capacity of 128 kilobytes, can be used for e-commerce and e-transactions safely. It had a validity period of ten years.
Under current Ghanaian law, the GhanaCard is the only valid identification, and all other forms of identification would be rendered useless when the issuance is completed in a year’s time.
The registration exercise would not only involve adults but children from Zero to five years as well. However, children from zero to 14 would not be issued the same GhanaCard, but two-dimensional derivative, since their biometrics change quickly. They would from the age of 15 be issued with the GhanaCard proper.
Whilst assuring the NIA of government’s support to enhance its capacity and that of its partners to roll-out the NIS system, President Akufo-Addo reminded stakeholders to ensure the integrity, security and confidentiality of data collected.