The National Identification Authority (NIA) will today, Friday, 29 April 2022, close some centres for the Ghana Card registration.
These centres according to NIA were specially designated for the exercise but have witnessed a decline in the number of registrants and do not “justify the expense of maintaining” them, hence the closure.
The centres NIA explains include Accra Sports Stadium, Kumasi Sports stadium, Tamale Sports Stadium, Ho Sports Stadium, Sunyani Coronation Park and Old Catholic Church, Pedu, Cape Coast.
The special registration points were opened in February 2022 to meet the growing demand for the Ghana card due to the 31 March 2022 deadline for the SIM card registration.
But NIA in a statement says the numbers have dwindled following the extension of the deadline for the SIM card re-registration to 31 July 2022.
“The dramatic decline in daily registration figures from over 40,000 in mid-March to under 5,000 in mid-April does not justify the expense of maintaining these special registration points,” parts of the statement read.
However, all the 276 operational district offices and 16 regional offices of the NIA will remain open during official working hours, including the premium registration centres at the headquarters and CAL Bank head office in Accra.
The outfit has therefore urged citizens who registered at the special points, except Accra Sports Stadium and are yet to receive their cards to visit the regional office where they registered for their cards.
For applicants who registered at the Accra Sports Stadium and do not receive their cards by the close of Friday, NIA said would have the cards issued to them at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra.
“The El-Wak Sports Stadium remains open to provide services for card replacement and personal records update,” NIA assured.
The NIA also urged persons who have not yet registered for their Ghana card to “do so ahead of the due dates announced by various state institutions.”