National Identification Authority responds to public demand for cards
The National Identification Authority (NIA) is responding to public demands for the Ghana Card by rolling out a programme to distribute the cards in the Greater Accra Region.
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The programme started on a pilot basis at the Michel Camp, Kpong, Tema Naval Base and the Tema metropolitan area.
Working in collaboration with government institutions such as the district assemblies and the security agencies, which provide secure environments for the distribution of the cards by staff, the authority is gradually making strides in ensuring that the Ghana Card is in the hand of every registered applicant in the Greater Accra Region.
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Acting Executive Secretary, Mr Martin Peprah; the Head of Public Relations, Ms Bertha Dzeble and the Head, Card Production Department, Mr Peter Kokoi, said the strategy was paying off with the achievement of the target of the distribution of 60 per cent of cards for each centre of distribution, consisting of a cluster of several NIA mass registration centres.
Explaining the strategy, Mr Kokoi said the pilot distribution exercise that was undertaken in July 2011 came at great cost, as they had to mobilise people and logistics for the exercise.
Subsequently, a review of the exercise resulted in the plan to collaborate with district assemblies, churches, security agencies, etc., who could provide secure environments for the distribution.
Thus, for the Tema Naval Base, the Navy had collaborated to aid in the effort, while the Tema Metropolitan Assembly had also been ready to help with the exercise.
The pilot exercise, Mr Kokoi said, had ended but there was the opportunity for anyone who was not able to get the card to come to the headquarters of the NIA for his/her card.
Ms Dzeble added that any applicant who registered in Accra and wanted to make enquiries about the Ghana Card could also use a hotline service purposely set up for the distribution of the cards.
She gave the numbers as 0302 973794, 0302999305, 0302999307, 0302999308 and 0302999309.
The mass registration exercise for the National Identification Card began in the Central Region in July, 2008.
The production of the National Identification Card, called the Ghana Card, began in December, 2010 for the Greater Accra Region when the authority obtained the required number of records to enable printing to begin.
By Caroline Boateng/Daily Graphic/Ghana
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