NIS Registration Exercise In Northern Region Begins In April

Dr. Ahadzie, Executive Director, NIA

The National Identification Authority (NIA) would resume its nationwide National Identification System (NIS) registration exercise in the Northern Region of Ghana in early April, 2013 to collect biographical information and bio-data of all Ghanaians as well as non-Ghanaians aged 6 years and above.

The exercise is part of government’s decision in recent years, to build a national data centre, set up and manage centralized national population database/civil registry, that would enable it to securely and undoubtedly verify and identify all Ghanaian citizens anywhere, and all legally and permanently resident foreign nationals at all times, for the purposes of protecting and providing essential services to them and promoting the integration of all persons living in the country.

It also sought to provide a common platform to integrate and enhance public and private sector business activities and facilitate the sharing of data for national development purposes as well as the need to build confidence in the business environment by ensuring all transactions were secure.

Addressing a sensitisation workshop organized by the NIA in Tamale, Head of Public Affairs Bertha Dzeble, said the NIS would serve as a unique service infrastructure/platform linking various government departments and agencies engaged in providing identification management services.

According to her, the system would also be integrated into the functions of various agencies to make their services more secured, reliable, readily accessible, and among others. She cited for instance, challenges associated with social security benefits, students loan scheme, passports and immigration, admissions at school, voters’ register, NHIS, DVLA, law enforcement, tracking offenders/inmates, disaster management and welfare allocation, tracking children sold into “slavery” by child traffickers among others as some critical issues that would be addressed when the system was eventually established.  

The registration exercise which began in the Southern part of the country in the last six years is now coming to the Northern part for the first time, and would be in three phases with the first phase comprising the Central Gonja, East Gonja, Nanumba North, Nanumba South, Yendi and Zabzugu/Tatale Districts.

The second phase include Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo, East Mamprusi, West Mamprusi, Gushiegu, Karaga, Saboba/Chereponi and Savelugu/Nanton Districts whereas the third phase consisted of Bole, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Tamale/Sagnarigu, Tolon-Kumbungu and West Gonja.

Ms. Dzeble explained that registration might take place at various polling stations previously created by the Electoral Commission, stressing that each person was required to provide among others, name, date of birth, place of birth, district of birth, hometown, nationality, educational background, occupation, postal address, house number, street name, parents’ information and spouse’s information. Other information such as fingerprint, passport photograph and signature or thumbprint would be required, she emphasised.

She noted that all persons would also be required to bring along all or any of the following documents such as baptismal card or certificate, birth certificate, birth weighing card, voters ID card, passport, drivers licence, SSNIT card, National Health Insurance ID card, sworn affidavit, immigration permit, dual citizenship certificate and naturalisation certificate. 

Persons who do not possess any of the aforementioned documents according to Ms. Dzeble would have to bring relatives to identify them under oath. “Registration is free. Report any person who demands or offers money for registration to NIA District Officers/Monitors or state security agents”, she cautioned.

Meanwhile, the sensitization workshop brought together District Information Officers of the Informationa Service Department of the Ministry of Information and some journalists in the Northern Region.