The Social Security and National insurance Trust (SSNIT) on Monday, June 28, 2021, began integrating and harmonising its database with the National Identification Authority (NIA).

The integration of the databases of the two institutions would save SSNIT US$ 17 million for halting the printing of new biometric cards to its Members.

Addressing the media in Accra on Wednesday on the merger with NIA, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, the Director-General of SSNIT, said previously, SSNIT incurred a cost of seven dollars per printing a  biometric card for a Member.

However, upon merging its database with NIA, it would only spend 60 pesewas per person and thus, incur a total cost of three million Ghana cedis for enrolling 30 million of its members onto the NIA database.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said since it started the merger on Monday, June 28, it had integrated 510,102 databases of its members onto the NIA's database system for easy verification and authentication of their identity.

Meanwhile, individual SSNIT contributors could integrate their personal data with the NIA's database system by dialing USSD Code *711*9# or visit the Trust's website: www.ssnit.org.gh to complete the integration process.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang explained that individuals who provided their SSNIT numbers to NIA when registering for the Ghana-Card had been integrated automatically into the NIA database system, adding that 495 000 had been enrolled so far.

The integration and harmonisation of the databases of the two institutions would end on December 31, this year.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said the merger would bring 17 benefits to beneficiaries including; easy and quick adjudication of pension-related issues, verification and authentication of individuals' identity, expansion of SSNIT services and prevent fraud.

Other benefits are: help in business and banking transactions,land title registration, reduce cost and time of accessing social services and facilitate sim card registration.

Professor Kenneth Agyemang-Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, in a presentation on its activities and achievements, said it had registered 15.581,283 people since it started mass registration for Ghana-Card from April 29, 2019, and ended on September 11, 2020.

He said the Authority targeted to register 80 per cent of persons 15 years and above, noting that as at the first quarter of 2020, it had exceeded its target and registered 84.4 per cent.

He said more than 15.5 million NIA Cards were printed but 13.9 million issued so far and asked those who have not receive theirs to visit the NIA Offices in the district he or she registered for collection.

Prof. Agyemang-Attafuah said the NIA's database centre had been upgraded to a tier-three centre, robust and up to the international standards, which would stand the test of time.

The Ghana-Card, he said, had 128 kilobyte storage space and could be used for tracking all transactions carried out by the cardholder.

 Currently, he said, the Authority was in the process of recruiting 1,026 permanent staff to man its regional and district offices across the 16 regions, adding that interviewing of applicants was ongoing.

He said it was also refurbishing the offices allocated to the NIA in the various assemblies and hoped by August this year, they would be fully functional.