The National Identification Authority (NIA) would begin its mass registration exercise in the Northern, North East and Savannah regions starting October 4.  

In all, 750 centres are expected to open for the registration exercise in these three regions.

The Northern Region has 400 registration centres, the Savannah Region, 175 and the North East Region 175.

A total of 3,000 registration assistants, registration officers among other officers, have been trained for the exercise.

Other registration offices such as Mobile Registration Workstation, Operators and Commissioner of Oaths have also been deployed for the exercise which would take place in 750 centres across these regions.

Addressing journalists ahead of the exercise, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Identification Authority, Professor Kenneth Attafuah, said this is the single biggest mass registration exercise ever in the history of the country.

He said the national identification card (Ghana Card) has been sustained because the present and subsequent governments believe it is useful for the socio-economic development of the country.

Professor Attafuah called on Ghanaians to affirm their commitment to the exercise by coming out in their numbers to register.

”If you don’t register for the Ghana Card, you will be cheating yourselves out of the social, political and economic inclusion the card brings,” he noted.

He called on all to support the registration exercise but cautioned the residents of these regions to eschew vouching for people they do not know.

The Chief Exercise Officer assured Ghanaians that they have the individual and collective duty to vigorously police the boundaries of Ghanaian citizenship, adding that, under the law, Ghanaians are mandated to challenge, in good faith, the eligibility claim of any person they have good reason to believe is not entitled to be registered and issued with the Ghana Card.

Professor Attafuah assured the people that the online and offline systems would ensure every person can register without hindrance.

He advised the people who will visit the centres to go with their genuine birth certificate or valid Ghana Passport or valid certificate of acquired citizenship and their GhanaPost digital address code, without which they will not be allowed to register.

He added that if one does not have any of these mandatory documents, a relative issued with a Ghana Card can vouch for them under oath, or two members of the community who have been issued with a Ghana Card can also vouch for them under oath.