Ken Attafuah, the executive secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), rejected the idea that a Ghana Card must be owned by every citizen of Ghana before it can be used as the only form of identification for voter registration.
“Our democracy is not founded on compulsion,” Attafuah said on Saturday, February 3, while speaking on The Forum. He emphasized Ghana’s democratic principles of freedom of expression and lawful action.
He clarified that although people are free to register for the Ghana Card, they are not required to do so. As a result, it is not feasible to insist on universal ownership of the card before using it as the primary form of voter registration identification.
Concerning possible disenfranchisement, Attafuah stated that, of the 19 million Ghanaians in that age group, only about 240 thousand have not yet registered for a Ghana card, based on NIA calculations.
He guaranteed that in three months, the NIA would have enough capacity to register the remaining people. Out of the 19 million, Attafuah said, “We have captured at least 17.8 million as of the last time I checked.”
He mentioned how the NIA is working to make registration easier by setting up premium registration centers across the nation, bringing facilities to communities, and opening regional and district offices.
Attafuah concluded by emphasizing that the assurance that the NIA has taken all required steps to register the eligible population is a prerequisite for the Electoral Commission’s proposed legislation in Parliament.
