The National Identification Authority (NIA) has extended the registration period for the National ID for three regions in the north.

A release from the NIA on Monday said persons in the Northern, Savannah and North East regions have up to Wednesday, October 30, 2019, to enrol onto the National ID.

“All prospective applicants are entreated to take advantage of the extension period to get registered,” the NIA wrote.

The statement reiterated “that Permanent NIA offices will be established at the Regional, Municipal and District levels by March 2020 to afford all Ghanaians who were not registered during the mass registration exercise the opportunity to get registered and be issued with the Ghana Card.”

The mass registration of the Ghana card began on a regional basis in April this year and is expected to continue until all regions are covered.

Executive Secretary of the NIA displaying a sample card. 

Registration in the Greater Accra, Volta and Oti regions has been completed.

The government says the Ghana card will consolidate details on other national IDs like driver’s license and the voter’s ID into one database.

 It is also to help in the digitisation agenda of the Akufo-Addo administration which he promised during the 2016 electioneering period.

Challenges

The registration process is very slow.

This has caused long queues at registration centres, a situation which patrons say take them from work, slowing down productivity.

Although some people are able to get their cards same day or even instantly, the greater number of people have had to use two or three days to complete the process.

Some even sleep at the registration centres with the hope of being the first in line when the registration officers arrive.