The National Identification Authority (NIA) has warned public and private institutions against photocopying or visually inspecting Ghana Cards for identity verification, stressing that biometric authentication is now mandatory for such transactions.
Chief Executive Officer of the NIA, Wisdom Yayra Koku Deku, said all institutions that rely on Ghana Card verification, including government agencies, private companies, insurance firms, the Lands Commission and telecommunications companies, must be connected to the NIA Identity Verification Platform.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem programme, Mr Deku explained that the move is part of efforts to strengthen Ghana’s identity verification system and prevent misuse of the Ghana Card.
“All government agencies, private institutions, insurers, the Lands Commission, telecommunications companies, and all institutions that require Ghana Card verification for their work have to come on board the NIA platform,” he said.
He stressed that physical inspection or photocopying of Ghana Cards is no longer permitted under the amended National Identity Register Regulations.
“Visual inspection and photocopying are banned. The biometric verification is now the accepted means of verifying identity,” he added.
Mr Deku said the NIA has given institutions until November 2, 2026, to complete the onboarding process onto the identity verification platform.
He explained that from July 27 to November 2, institutions can contact the NIA through its official channels to begin the registration process.
“We have given the public time to apply to be onboarded onto the NIA Identity Verification Platform. You can send an email to nia.gov.gh, and our team will respond and take you through the process,” he said.
The NIA CEO added that after the deadline, a biometric enforcement taskforce involving the Police Service will be deployed to check compliance.
“After November 2, we will have a biometric enforcement taskforce with the Police to go to organisations and check if they have done it. Those who have not complied, we will see how to deal with them,” he stated.
The comments follow the NIA’s announcement that photocopying or visually inspecting a Ghana Card for identity verification purposes is now an offence under amendments to the National Identity Register Regulations.
The amendment to Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2111 makes biometric verification mandatory for transactions requiring identity authentication.
Under the new regulations, institutions that fail to comply may, upon summary conviction, face fines ranging from 500 to 2,000 penalty units, while individuals who breach the law could face penalties ranging from 50 to 500 penalty units.
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