Head of Department of Corporate Affairs at the National Identification Authority has explained that the various charges for the Ghana Card is due to the implementation of a revenue model by the Authority.

Abudu Abdul-Ganiyu said these charges have been approved by parliament, thus the NIA is only implementing the law.

"These are fees and charges. They’ve been taken to parliament. The law is the law and we can only work with that until there’s an amendment to the law."

He explained that the Ghana Card was issued without any charges during the mass registration last year because the ordinary Ghanaian could not afford.

"There’s a partner in this whole project where a lot of money has been invested. And we’re looking at a 15 year cycle where some money would be recouped and the investment paid off to the partner."

The charges, which are part of the revenue model, he said, cover any changes on the card that would lead to the printing of a new card.

"If you are correcting date of birth. So as long as any update would lead to the printing of a new card, you would pay the GHS30.

"The second thing is having lost a card. First of all, you go to the police station, get what we call a police extract, then you come to the NIA. NIA is able to replace that card for you at a cost of GHS30.

"Then we have the premium registration. GHS250 for someone who has not yet registered for the Ghana Card at all. Once you come to the premium centre, then you pay GHS250.

"Then we also have institutional registration. Let’s say Multimedia, some of your staff have not yet registered for the Ghana Card. You invite the NIA to bring our officials here, our machines here to come and register your officials. This should be about 50 people and above. Then each person pays GHS100. That’s the charge for institutional registration.

"Then we have household registration. For that one, you sit at home with your family, you invite NIA to come and register you. You should also be 5 people and above within that household. And each person pays GHS150".

Although registration for new applicants is free, he said that only applies at the various district centres, but persons who prefer premium services would have to go to the NIA headquarters.

"If you ignore all the centres that registration is taking place for free, and you come to a premium centre, yes you would pay the GH₵250. Registration at the headquarters is premium service. Anyone turning up there for a new card registration pays an amount of GH₵250. But the 34 centres that I have alluded to, registration over there is free".

He further noted that by the end of October, the NIA will be establishing 275 regional and district offices across the country dubbing it the 'One District One Office' project.

This project, he said would ease the long queues recorded at the various registration centres which is as a result of the Ghana Card being a requirement for the reregistration of SIM cards.

"The SIM card reregistration is for a period of six months.  It’s not as if as it was announced, the following day was going to be the deadline. There’s really no need for panic," he advised.