The Ghana National Identification (NIA) Card commonly known as the Ghana Card has become the cornerstone of documentation in the country. However, it is a struggle for many people who want to secure the card or replace it when it goes missing.

Kwaku Oppong, a construction worker and a resident of Abuakwa in the Ashanti region of Ghana was in haste to get his Ghana Card, a national identification document, due to warnings of sim card cancellation.

“I was excited to register for the Card because I was worried about the SIM card cancellation and the inability to travel,” he said.

The 47-year-old has also been nurturing plans to travel abroad and he knew the absence of the card would be a hindrance.

After spending more than three days in the queue at the Abuakwa National Identification Authority substation, Mr Oppong finally got the opportunity to register.

“I tried registering my Card at Abuakwa because that is where I stay, I joined the queue and I slept at the centre for three days,” he revealed.

But he was willing to endure all the inconveniences to secure the Card.

Spearheaded by the Akufo Addo-led government in 2017, The Ghana Card is issued to Ghanaian citizens both residents and non-residents. It is proof of identity, citizenship and residence of the holder.

According to the NIA, 17.4 million have been registered out of the country’s population of 31 million people since 2019.

The Ghana card was introduced to ensure the security of people looking to interact with the public and the private sector.

According to Ghana’s vice president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, “Ghana card will improve financial accessibility and also help the security services in the fight against fraudulent activities.”

Headache of first-time registrants / Cumbersome registration process

However, the processes leading to being issued with the Ghana card are discouraging for many.

First-time registrants for example are required to go through three processes after which they will be issued with the Ghana Card.

Nana Osei, a student, wanted to open a bank account, but he needed a Ghana Card to do so. It was his first time.

After being referred to registration sites, he was finally asked to pay GHS 500 and he’s not gone back.

“I have gone through all the process of registration for my Ghana card yet I have not received my card. I registered at Daaban but I was referred to Asuofia to collect my card. I have been to the office at Asuofia four times but I still have not received my card.

“Sometimes I wait for months before I go back but they always tell me that the card has not arrived. I was asked by one of the workers to pay GHS 500 before I get my card so I have decided not to go back again,” he sadly said.

Meanwhile, the National Identification Authority says that registration is free for all first-time registrants.

Kofi Owusu, another first-time registrant, couldn't also register because of the long queues.

However, when he got the chance, he was asked to pay GHS 200 which he refused.

“I was not around when the registration started but I came back before the registration started so I went to the centre to register but the queue discouraged me to leave.

“I went back but this time I went earlier, I could spend the whole day in the queue but leave without registering. The last time I went there I spoke to a man and he asked me to pay GHS 200 to get the card so I left.

“The next time I went there he told me the time he gave me has expired so he will call me when he is ready,” he said.

Losing your Ghana card

According to Naomi Mensah, a seamstress, who sadly lost his card through a robbery incident, since her sim card was blocked, it was impossible to get a new sim without her Ghana card.

She had pending business transactions that needed to be executed and the delay weighed in on her. Naomi therefore decided to let her friend register a new sim for her, and after several attempts to get a new one became daunting.

“I closed from work one day and thieves stole my bag containing my Ghana card. The loss of my Ghana card worried me because I needed my Ghana card to open a bank account. After the thieves stole my card my sim card was blocked so I asked my friend to register a sim card with her Ghana card.

“I went to Bomso to replace my card but the queue was too long so I decided to go to Adum to start the process. When I went to Adum I got my card on the same day I registered but I was required to pay GHS 250 because of the quick process,” she said.

Naomi’s story is similar to taxi driver Alex Boakye. He talks about how his sim was blocked because he was unable to re-register with the Ghana card.

“After trying for days, I didn’t bother again. My sim card was blocked so I asked someone to use their Ghana card to register a sim card on my behalf,” he recounted.

Muhammed Awudu, a vulcanizer, also dreaded how his clients could not reach him due to his blocked SIM card.

“My sim card was blocked because I was unable to register my Ghana Card. I work with my brother so I asked him to register a sim card with his Ghana Card after my sim was locked. I even had some money on my SIM card before it was locked.

“I also connected my sim card with my bank account for mobile banking so now I don’t have access to my bank account,” he said. 

Corruption and extortion

According to a directive issued by the Bank of Ghana, all Ghanaians are to use the Ghana card for bank transactions. This directive was effective from July 1, 2022.

Ghanaians were also required to re-register their sim cards with their Ghana card effective on October 1, 2021.

Individuals without the Ghana card would have to endure restrictions to their bank accounts and mobile networks.

When Oppong, the construction worker in Abuakwah finally got his card, he unfortunately misplaced it a month after and life began to whirl.

His first ordeal came when he sent a cheque to retrieve GHS4,000 from his bank account. The teller was hesitant to give him the cash when he failed to show his Ghana Card.

“He just wasn’t ready to give me my money. He insisted I show him my card,” he recounted.

It was after several pleas, that Oppong’s money was released to him.

In an attempt to ensure they don’t lose access to these essential services, people are forced to pay their way out.

Akwesi Adjei, a university student said he had to pay his way through after misplacing his card, as if the queues were not deterrent enough.

“In 2020, I misplaced my Ghana Card in school so I waited until completion to replace my card. When I came home the queue at the centres was too long so I decided to wait until I heard that they had closed registration.

“I heard of an opportunity to register this year so I decided to go and register. When I got to the Bomso town council, they told me I couldn’t register because I had not booked an appointment so I was asked to come later on Wednesday and I did so.

“The computer could not produce my personal information when I went through the biometric process so I was asked to go to COCOBOD for a code. On my arrival at COCOBOD, I was required to bring a form I filled out at the initial stage of my registration which I could not present on the same day because of time.

“On my third trial, I went to Adum and we were asked to pay GHS110 for replacement, and for the first-time registrants were required to pay GHS280. I was the fourteenth person in the queue but other people were served first because they had protocol. I was able to leave the place with my card at the end of the day,” he said.

NIA’s position

According to the NIA, a statutory fee of GHS34.50 is to be paid for the replacement of a Ghana card or for making changes in a person’s record.

But Naomi for example revealed that she was made to pay an amount of GHS250 which is GHS215.50 above the required amount.

Again, one is required to report to the police and the NIA immediately after the card has been stolen.

The person will then swear an affidavit confirming the loss of the card and pay a replacement fee for a new card.

Registration process too tedious?

A computer scientist at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr. Emmanuel Ahene recently tried to acquire a SIM card on a visit to China.

He recalled that “Obtaining a SIM card in China can be tedious.”

Though he wasn’t pleased, he understood the protection of such sensitive information is crucial to check criminal activities.

“People can be fraudulent so it’s important to be very careful when acquiring such information. The probability people can use to defraud is very high and you need to make sure you can be traced. It’s just to protect them against being victims.

“We all need to understand the process,” he said.

However, he said reforms are still needed to ease the stress associated with the registration process.

Verification without Ghana card

With verification at the heart of the card’s significance, experts have been raising concerns about the difficulties in verifying identities without the Ghana card.

Prof. Emmanuel Akowuah, a computer engineer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology recounts an incident where he was able to clear a cheque when he left his Ghana card at home.

Indeed, many commercial banks in Ghana are able to offer this service with only the Ghana card number.

Prof. Akowuah believes this system can be scaled up to all banks nationwide to help clients access their accounts without the physical Ghana card.

“At GCB for instance, they have developed an API which is used to retrieve the information from your Ghana card. The API is mature and it works very well. Other banks can learn from this,” he said.

Prof. Akowuah also thinks the same technology can be used on fingers or the eyes which can make it possible to retrieve Ghana card information.

Dr Emmanuel Ahene also wants the telcos to adopt such a system to stem data duplication.

 “The telcos should also acquire such systems so that it'll be possible to use the Ghana card number to get a new SIM or register a new SIM.

Living without a Ghana card can cause psychological distress to citizens. It’s therefore important for the country to adopt the latest technologies or systems to make sure the process of obtaining a Ghana card is facilitated while being robust.

This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop.