The National Identification Authority (NIA) has revealed it is incurring huge costs for keeping backlogs of printed Ghana Cards which are yet to be collected by the respective applicants.

According to the Head of Corporate Affairs at the Authority, about 1.5 million cards are currently locked up in NIA’s regional and district offices for varied reasons, including the resettlement of people.

Speaking to Emefa Adeti on Prime Morning on Monday, February 21, Abudu Abdul-Ganiyu lamented what he described as an obstacle to the efforts of the Authority.

“The challenge has to do with these backlog cards, to the extent that they continue to sit in our inventory, that is, at a cost to us. You have to manage them, maybe bring them out to be issued, move them back to where they are supposed to be…that is because people registered at certain places but now that the cards have been printed and moved to those place, they, probably, have changed location or residence.”

We have a backlog of cards in our system and keeping them for long comes at a cost to the Authority - Abudu Abdul-Ganiyu, Head of Corporate Affairs, @GhanaCard_NIA. #PrimeMorning pic.twitter.com/PMhCn95VBV

— Joy Prime (@JoyPrimeTV) February 21, 2022

“For example. Maybe somebody registered in Tamale and has moved to Accra…you are asking the person to come to Tamale for the person’s card to be issued and the person doesn’t do so, so you continue to keep these cards and that comes at a huge cost to us,” he bemoaned.

He encouraged individuals who are yet to receive their cards to go for them because NIA has been able to open 276 district offices and 16 regional offices nationwide.

Last year, the NIA opened 276 district offices and 16 regional offices across the country at a goal - Abudu Abdul-Ganiyu, Head of Corporate Affairs at the @GhanaCard_nia. #PrimeMorning pic.twitter.com/HaCQGVVIlx

— Joy Prime (@JoyPrimeTV) February 21, 2022

He added that these offices will eventually become permanent.

“It means that in each of the regional capitals, we have been able to open an NIA office with 276 operational district offices. This has never happened but that is also because our services are needed by all Ghanaians, irrespective of where they find themselves.”

“We’ve attempted to bring these services to the doorsteps of each and every Ghanaian and that has been quite challenging,” he noted.