A research fellow of the Institute of  Economic Affairs (lEA), Dr Ransford Gyampoh, has stated that the  country faces a serious national  identity management crises.

He said that would happen because of multiple agents of state performing the same tasks of providing biometric data for their requirements as service providers, and the multiplicity of efforts at biometric data collection.

Dr Gyampoh, who made the comments at the opening of a two-day workshop on synchronised identification systems, added that it was a waste of resources which ought not to be tolerated by Ghanaians.

He said currently there are seven state institutions in the business of creating and providing data bordering on identities.

These are the Electoral Commission, the National Identification Authority (NIA), the Driver and vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the Ministry of Finance and Economic planning (MoFEP), the Passport Office, and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).

The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Seth Terkper, promised the consolidation of all primary biometric data in the 2012 Budget.

Prior to the promise, a representation had been led by the International Development Consortium of the expertise of HSH Soft and Hardware Vertriebs of Germany on the strengthening of the country's identification systems and its integration.

As a follow-up, government officials also visited Germany in October 2013 to understudy its integrated identification system.

The progress The two-day workshop was to get municipal, metropolitan and district chief executives, who would be key drivers in the effort together to dialogue on the challenges affecting Ghana's national identification system and chart a plan of instituting a one-stop shop for all biometric data information and administration.

In a keynote address at the  opening of the workshop, the  Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Akwasi Opong-Fosu, enumerated some of the projects under the ministry that were in line with efforts at a synchronised and integrated ID system. Key among the projects were the Street Naming and Property Addressing System, and the development of the 'National Operational Guidelines on Street Naming and Property Addressing System."

He said the synchronised ID systems would help in the implementation of the projects. Role of MMDAs.

Mr Opong-Fosu said MMDAs had a critical role to play in the process as they were responsible for the registration of births and deaths, businesses and marriages.

They also issued permits for businesses and buildings that facilitated town planning, the collection of taxes and the mobilisation of resources for development at the local level.

"MMDAs, therefore, have a major role to play in the development of an accurate national register containing a database that would assist government enhance local governance through effective service delivery to the citizens at the local level," he said.

The chairperson for the programme, the Minister of State in-charge of Development Authorities,Maj (rtd) Dr Mustapha Ahmed, also emphasised the importance of MMDAs in the processes of an integrated and synchronised ID system.

He said the NIA had so far captured 17 million records of Ghanaians, processed three million cards and distributed just 900,000 cards, thus, it was necessary to have the input of all for solutions to challenges.

The 2012 presidential flag- bearer for the People's National convention (PNC),Mr Hassan Ayariga, suggested that landlords had to be made the focal persons in the effort.

He said if all landlords were made to provide a list of information on each individual tenant with his or her family members, there would be a graduation of efforts until a comprehensive register was obtained.

The flagbearer of the Convention People's Party (CPP),  Mr Abu Sakara, for his part, was eager for solutions to the challenge of national identification for Ghana.

Also present, was the only independent presidential candidate in the 2012 presidential race,Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah.

Mr Martin Peprah of the NIA, made a case for the NIA to be the repository of all biometric information as it was legally  mandated to do so, while Mr Yaw Misefa of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) expressed the readiness of the GSS to collaborate in the effort.