On assuming of office, one of the key issues The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Dr. William Ahadzie, says the authority has successfully managed to deal with the labour and salary issues confronting both the permanent and temporary staff of the Authority. Those challenges stalled activities of the authority, including the nationwide registration and issuance of identity cards exercise. Dr. William Ahadzie disclosed in an interview with Myjoyonline.com that it was initially planned that the authority will start the registration exercise in July 2008 and end it by March 2009. He blamed the delay on the late release of resources and inadequate funds, explainig that “The mass registration phase was supposed to have been completed in March this year and it delayed because of constraints in terms of resources”. “The appropriate resources were not released on time and therefore the exercise delayed. It has been the problem over time that the amount of money needed for the regional registration are released as and when you move into one other regions…this year, the government has held back releases as part of its general expenditure control arrangements so it has affected us as it has affected other state institutions,” he added. The NIA is however hopeful to continue the exercise smoothly this time barring any hitches. The mass registration in the Greater Accra Region which will be the very first under the watch of Dr William Ahadzi will start on Wednesday, November 18. The Greater Accra Region has been divided into four phases. The first phase will start on Wednesday, November 18 and end November 28 and it will cover Damgbe East and West, Tema, Ashiaman and Adenta. The second phase will start from December 7, and will end December 17 to cover Ga East, Ga West and Ga South. The registration will then be suspended for the Christmas festivities and resume in January for the third phase, which will take off on January 11 and end January 21, 2010, taking care of Okaikoi, Ablekuma and Asheidu Keteke. The final phase for the Greater Accra Region will start from the 1st to 11th February 2010 and will cover Osu-Klottey, Ayawaso, Kpeshie and Ledzokuku-Klorwor. He disclosed that after the Greater Accra Region, the exercise will shift to the Ashanti Region, expressing the hoipe that the funds would be provided in time to enable them to complete the region on schedule. The NIA hopes to start card production by late December 2009 or early January 2010. Dr. Ahadzi attributed the delayed issuance of I/D cards to the fact that the authority needs a minimum threshold of 6 million registered Ghanaians of which they have 5.7 million and they will achieve the threshold of 6 million with the start of registration in the Greater Accra Region. Dr. Ahadzi said the cards will be generated randomly and may not go in any specific order. The cards will come with peculiar pin numbers for each individual. The NIA will expect all registered persons to validate their registration through finger print identification for the issuance of the card at the initial registration centres. The ultimate aim of the National Identification Authority is to set up a national information and security database. It will also set up district offices with permanent Mobile Registration Workstations and Operators to continue the registration of Ghanaians. The Executive Secretary urged Ghanaians to “go out there to register and also take along the necessary identity documents (Voter ID Card, Drivers licence, NHIS Card, Passport, Baptismal Certificate or Weighing Card) that the NIA is asking for." "The exercise starts at 7 am during each phase and we will also advise that people should go early and register instead of waiting to do the registration on the last day…People should also make sure to go back to their registration centres for the National ID Card when the time is due,” he added. Story by Aglanu Dela Ernest/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana