Amid complaints and questions as to why passports are not being allowed for identification in the ongoing SIM re-registration exercise, the National Identification Authority (NIA) has said passports lack the credibility Ghana Cards offers.
Speaking on The Point of View on Citi TV, the Executive Secretary of the authority, Prof. Ken Attafuah, said “the Ghana Card is a far superior index of your identity.”
“A passport is a primary document for establishing your citizenship and eligibility to travel across borders but even so, you see visa requirements. There is a limit,” he said.
Prof. Attafuah also noted that the Ghana Card registration process provides evidence of why passports could not fully be trusted.
“During the mass registration, there were people who went to registration centres with Ghana passports but were denied the right to register, because, upon interrogation, it was found that they were not Ghanaians.”
“It can be found to be procured through improper means and you cannot rely on it,” the NIA boss added.
Aside from this, Prof Attafuah also noted that, as a requirement of law, “wherever identification is to be established, a Ghana Card shall be required.”
The complaints about the non-acceptance of passports are also because many Ghanaians are yet to get their Ghana Cards.
The Authority has indicated that later in October, its regional offices will open to allow Ghanaians who have registered to collect their printed cards.
The Authority says over 84 percent of Ghanaians aged 15 and above, that is about 15 million people, registered for the Ghana card.
The re-registration of mobile SIM cards is expected to last for six months, ending on March 31, 2022.
The exercise is in accordance with the Subscriber Identity Module Registration Regulations, 2011, LI 2006 to curb SIM boxing and other criminal activities.
Any SIM which is not registered at the end of this exercise will be blocked.
Source: Delali Adogla-Bessa
