Kofi Ahovi

  By Samuel Dowuona In February 2022, the then Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, a man widely designated as Ghana's digitalization champion, made a bold declaration that the Ghana Card is recognized in 44,000 airports across the world as a valid form of ID for Ghanaians traveling into Ghana.  This statement triggered a barrage of attacks on the Vice President. He was called a liar. In fact one of the attacks that easily comes to memory was from one NDC Communicator - Bernard Oduro Takyi during a talk show on Kesben TV. He described the Vice President as a "serial, chronic and supersonic liar." Take note that prior to that, the Vice President had been called a liar for several other statements he made in that past, so much so that even Google searches on "who is the biggest liar in Ghana" always threw up his name. So, the attacks on him with respect to the declaration on Ghana Card being recognized in 44,000 airports globally, perfectly fitted into t...

  The National Identification Authority (NIA) has announced the full restoration of Ghana Card printing services across the country after resolving temporary technical challenges that had disrupted the process in recent weeks. In a press statement issued on Thursday, March 5, 2026, the Authority assured the general public that the issues affecting the printing of the national identification card had been completely addressed. As a result, printing services have resumed at all NIA offices nationwide. According to the NIA, the interruption was caused by technical difficulties that temporarily affected the production process. Although the Authority did not provide detailed specifics about the nature of the technical issues, it emphasised that the problems have now been fully resolved, allowing normal operations to resume. The NIA expressed appreciation to the public for their patience and understanding during the period of disruption. The Authority acknowledged the inconvenience cause...

  The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD) has announced that all unregistered SIM cards will be completely deactivated on November 30, 2022. The Ministry, in a statement issued on November 11, 2022, said: "All SIM cards which have completed the first stage of the registration exercise but not done the second phase will be blocked from accessing data services on 20th November 2022 and completely deactivated on 30th November 2022". The statement added that the move was part of measures taken by the government to ensure a secure and safe digital ecosystem. It said there had been a reduction in SIM-related fraud following the commencement of the SIM registration exercise. ICT should be accessible to all without any risk and the SIM Registration exercise will solve a lot of issues in the industry," the statement signed by the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu said. "We can all attest to the fact that there has been a noticeable ...

  Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof. Kenneth Attafuah has said that it is technically and physically impossible for the NIA to register and issue Ghana Cards to all the remaining eligible persons before the SIM registration deadline.  Speaking to journalists over the weekend, the NIA Boss noted that there are about two million people aged 15 and above left to be registered, saying that “there is no way NIA can register those people before September 30 – it is technically physically impossible.” “We had said way back in March that it was impossible. I have said it is like expecting a maiden to make a baby every three months,” Prof. Attafuah reiterated. “That is not how the physical and logistical system has been designed to respond. We cannot do that.” Communications and Digitalization Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has set September 30, 2022 as the deadline for SIM Registration and the only valid ID for the purpose is the Ghana Card, which...

Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof. Kenneth Attafuah has said that it is technically and physically impossible for the NIA to register and issue Ghana Cards to all the remaining eligible persons before the SIM registration deadline.  Speaking to journalists over the weekend, the NIA Boss noted that there are about two million people aged 15 and above left to be registered, saying that “there is no way NIA can register those people before September 30 – it is technically physically impossible.” “We had said way back in March that it was impossible. I have said it is like expecting a maiden to make a baby every three months,” Prof. Attafuah reiterated. “That is not how the physical and logistical system has been designed to respond. We cannot do that.” Communications and Digitalization Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has set September 30, 2022 as the deadline for SIM Registration and the only valid ID for the purpose is the Ghana Card, which is iss...

The Electoral Commission (EC) has assured Ghanaians that it has no intention to use the Ghana Card as a source of identification for the 2024 general elections. It said it would continue to issue the voters identification cards which would be used for the elections. Misconception The Deputy Chairman of the EC, Dr. Eric Bossman Asare, in an interview with the Daily Graphic corrected certain misconceptions in the public that said the EC intended to use the Ghana Card on voting day and, therefore, wanted to create a new register hence the decision to accept the Ghana Card as the only means of identification for registration of new voters onto the national register. pp;We are not going to use the Ghana Card for voting. No we are not going to use it for voting. The Ghana Card is only for registration as a new voter and when you register, we will issue you with our voter’s card. So let’s encourage our children from 16 years to go for their Ghana Card so that by 2024, when that child is 18 be...

  The Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, is scheduled to brief Parliament on Wednesday, July 6, 2022 on the challenges the NIA is facing regarding the printing and issuance of the ECOWAS Identity Card, also known as the "Ghana Card". This has come about as a result of the inability of many Ghanaians to have their cards printed out for them to enable them to link their bank accounts and SIM cards after going through the registration process. With this development, Ghanaians who do not yet have the Ghana Card will miss out on this two important national exercises. It also means that Ghanaians who do not have their Ghana Cards and are unable to link their bank accounts cannot transact business while those who have not linked their SIM cards to the Ghana cards will also not be able to use them after the expiration of the deadline. Terrorist attacks The Minister of National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah, is also scheduled to brief the House on Thursday, July 7, 2022 at a close...

  As the 31st July 2022 deadline for people to link their mobile phone SIM cards to their  Ghana Card  fast approaches, telecoms market leader, MTN has warned that it does not intend to give room for any customer who fails to meet the timeline as directed by government. The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Serlom Adadevoh, gave the warning in Kumasi at a media and stakeholders Forum for selected journalists and others. Adadevoh disclosed that MTN had, as at close of work on Wednesday June 22, 2022, completed the merger process of about 16.8 million representing 60 percent of its customers. He noted that about 10.8 million others representing 40 percent of MTN subscribers have also completed only the first process involving self-service who must necessarily go to any of the set up bio registration centres in the country to complete their National Identification process in compliance with the government’s policy directive. Adadevoh emphasized that MTN Ghana will effect...

Ghanaian passengers who were admitted into the country for the first time with the Ghana Card, instead of passports, have described the system as fast and convenient. Numbering 14, the passengers, who arrived at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) about 11:15 a.m. on Monday, March 1, 2022, onboard an Ethiopian Airline flight (ET 921) from Addis Ababa, went through the process, which was conducted by officials of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS). This came to light when officials of the GIS took some journalists to the arrival hall of Terminal 3 of the KIA to observe the process as part of the official introduction of the use of the Ghana Card, March 1, as an ICAO-compliant travel document. In separate interviews, two of the passengers, Dennis Bekoe, who arrived from the United Kingdom (UK), and Akua Mansa from South Africa, said the card was easier to use, as against the passport, since they spent less time going through the arrival processes. Designated booths The Deputy Head of...

Ghana’s National Identity Card, the Ghana Card can now be used as an e-passport in 44,000 airports globally. It follows the recognition of the Ghana Card globally as an electronic passport that can be read and verified in all International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) compliant borders. At a ceremony,  held at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal in Canada on Wednesday [February 9, 2022], Ghana was officially presented with the certificate to make the Ghana Card an e-passport to be accepted at 44,000 airports across the globe. Ghana's High Commissioner to Canada, Ransford Sowah, received the ‘key’ to symbolically indicate Ghana’s entry into the ICAO family. This means the Ghana Card, which is a unique biometric identification card, will be accepted as an e-passport in 197 borders globally and 44,000 airports in the world. Holders of the Ghana Card will be allowed to board any flight to Ghana by just showing the card. Gha...

Banks have expressed their readiness to comply with a Bank of Ghana (BoG) directive that mandates them to use only the Ghana Card in identifying their customers before transacting business with them. The Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB) said the July 1 deadline was favourable and they would take the necessary steps to enable them to comply. The Chief Executive Officer of the GAB, John Awuah, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that banks had been working with the National Identification Authority (NIA) and its private partner to link their systems to the National Identity Register for the purposes of verification. Consequently, he expressed the confidence that the processes would be completed by June to allow for its take off in July. Directive He was reacting to a public notice from the central bank to banks and other deposit-taking institutions to accept only the Ghana Card as a form of identification in undertaking transactions from July 1, this year. The central bank also directed t...

  The ARB Apex Bank Limited, which serves as a “mini” central bank for Rural & Community Banks (RCBs) says it is working with the relevant authorities to ensure that the National Identification Card is accepted at Rural Banks across the country as a valid form of identification. For some time now universal banks in the country have been engaging the National Identification Authority and the Bank of Ghana, for the National ID card to be used as a primary source of identification for conducting banking transactions In an interview with Citi Business News, the Acting Managing Director of ARB Apex Bank, Alex Kwasi Awuah, noted that rural banks across the country are ready to support the use of the Ghana Card as a primary source of identification for financial transactions. I can say that work is being done. We are in discussions with the relevant institutions that are introducing the card. I believe that in the nick of time, we will all come to a conclusion on the way forward.” But...

  The National Identification Authority (NIA) has completed building its verification platform, to enable all financial institutions to accept the Ghana Card for transactions. Already Calbank, Stanbic and UBA have started accepting the Ghana Card as a form of verification for banking transactions. This follows the successful onboarding of the three banks’ verification systems to the NIA platform. All other banks have been given a grace period of up to the end of the year 2021, to build and onboard their systems to the platform and connect all their branches. The Head of Corporate Affairs at the NIA, Abudu Abdul-Ganiyu, made this known in a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Accra based Neat FM Thursday morning (October 14, 2021). Many banks have not been accepting the Ghana Card as a form of verification for transactions with the explanation that they were not yet onboard the verification platform. The banks had objected to accepting the card because they wanted a relia...