Over 800,000 Ghana Cards unclaimed – NIA calls for urgent collection

The Head of Corporate Affairs at the National Identification Authority (NIA), Mr Williams Ampomah Darlas, has raised concerns over a significant backlog of unclaimed Ghana Cards and is urging registered Ghanaians to collect them without delay.

According to Mr Ampomah, a total of 822,440 Ghana Cards remain uncollected nationwide, despite applicants having completed the registration process.

This figure forms part of the over 18 million Ghanaians who have registered for the national identification card under the NIA’s ongoing nationwide rollout.

He made the disclosure during a press briefing held at the NIA headquarters in Accra on Wednesday, June 18.

“Out of the 18 million-plus registrations that we have done, we have 822,440 uncollected cards—cards that have been printed, but the applicants have yet to pick them up,” he said.

“I am appealing to Ghanaians that if you have registered and you have yet to pick up your card from our various offices across the country, do not hesitate to go there,” he added.

Mr Ampomah reiterated the importance of the Ghana Card as a vital form of identification, urging registered individuals to visit their designated collection centres to retrieve their cards as soon as possible.

Background

In August 2024, the NIA announced plans to begin Ghana Card registration for children aged 6 to 14, starting in September.

The Authority explained that, having successfully registered 18 million Ghanaians aged 15 and above, it was now ready to extend the registration process to those under 15 years.

At the time, the then Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Kenneth Agyeman Attafuah, stated that the initiative had already been piloted in the Eastern and Central Regions and was set for a nationwide rollout.