The National Identification Authority (NIA) has registered about 32,000 basic school pupils in the Volta and Oti regions under its ongoing Ghana Card registration exercise for children aged six to 14.
The exercise, which began on May 5, 2026, forms part of efforts to expand access to healthcare and strengthen identification systems among school children across the country.
Executive Secretary of the NIA, Wisdom Kwaku Deku, disclosed this during an interview with Adom News during a tour of some registration centres in Ho.
According to him, the Authority is targeting more than 63,000 children in the two regions for registration onto the national identification system.
Mr. Deku explained that the Ghana Card has now become the country’s primary form of identification following the implementation of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 211, which makes the card mandatory for transactions requiring identification.
“The Ghana Card now serves multiple functions, including acting as a person’s National Health Insurance number, Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) number, and Tax Identification Number (TIN). This integration means that children registered under the system automatically receive these identification numbers at once,” he said.
He further noted that children captured under the system would not need separate registration for health insurance, as the Ghana Card can also be used to access healthcare services under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Mr. Deku acknowledged that the NIA may not be able to register every eligible child during the current exercise but said efforts are being made to capture as many children as possible before registration continues at district and regional offices nationwide.
He also announced plans to expand registration services for children after the ongoing exercise.
“Under the new arrangement, children will be able to visit district or regional offices to complete registration processes that are currently unavailable to them,” he stated.
Touching on some of the challenges facing the exercise, Mr. Deku identified the lack of birth certificates among many children as a major concern. He explained that in such situations, parents are required to accompany their children and swear affidavits to confirm their identities.
He therefore urged parents to secure birth certificates for their children immediately after birth to avoid future registration difficulties.
Mr. Deku further disclosed that beginning next month, the NIA, in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service and the Births and Deaths Registry, will roll out a new registration system targeting children aged zero to five years.
Under the initiative, newborn babies at hospitals will automatically receive identity numbers, birth registration numbers and Ghana Card PINs shortly after birth.
According to him, the initiative is aimed at eliminating the need for future mass registration exercises by ensuring that every child’s identity is established from birth. He added that children would later visit district or regional offices at age six to receive their physical Ghana Cards.
The NIA also stressed that the registration exercise would not discriminate against any Ghanaian, insisting that citizenship is determined by law and not by ethnicity, language, appearance or cultural background.
Some parents and school authorities who spoke during the tour praised the initiative, describing it as a major step toward improving access to healthcare and ensuring proper national identification for children in the Volta and Oti regions.
The ongoing exercise is expected to continue in selected districts until all targeted pupils are successfully registered onto the system.
ALSO READ:
