The National Identification Authority has taken its nationwide child registration exercise directly to the workplace, visiting Media General as part of a targeted corporate outreach initiative designed to register the children of employees across selected organisations.
The exercise, which targets children between the ages of six and fourteen, is part of the NIA’s broader push to capture approximately 3.1 million Ghanaian children within the national identification system beginning this May.
Speaking to 3News during the visit, the Chief Executive Officer of the NIA, Wisdom Kwaku Deku, said the decision to bring registration to corporate organisations is deliberate, removing the burden of travel from working parents and ensuring greater participation.
“We are going directly to where people work so that no child is left out of the system simply because their parents could not find the time,” he said.
Under the registration process, children are required to attend with their parents. Upon registration, the child’s details are immediately linked to the parent’s records and a Ghana Card is issued on the spot, a significant improvement on earlier exercises where distribution of cards was delayed.
Registration Fees and Requirements
The fee for first-time registration at Premium Centres is GHS410, consistent with the approved charges for premium services.
Requirements remain the same as for applicants aged 15 years and above. Parents or Legal guardians are to present one of the following:
- A valid Ghanaian Passport of the child; OR
- The original copy of the child’s Birth Certificate; OR
- A Ghana Card holder parent or legal guardian who can vouch for the child.
The NIA has already issued approximately 18.7 million Ghana Cards to persons aged fifteen and above. The current phase marks a shift in focus toward younger Ghanaians, with the authority having structured the exercise into three age categories: 0 to 5, 6 to 14, and 15 and above, to ensure convenience for families at different stages.
The Media General visit is part of a broader corporate rollout before the full nationwide exercise extends from the Volta and Oti Regions through the five northern regions and eventually to the southern sector, covering the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, and Ashanti Regions.
Staff with children in the qualifying age bracket were encouraged to take advantage of the on-site registration to secure their children’s Ghana Cards without leaving the office.
By Frederick Kunzote-Ani
