Ghana Card at birth begins

The lack of integration between birth records and national identity platforms opens up a variety of potential problems and risks which impact national security, voter registration, social services delivery and overall governance, the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has observed. 

To understand the implications of that gap, he said, government, through the collaborative efforts of the Ghana Health Service, the Births and Deaths Registry and the National Identification Authority (NIA) had integrated those systems.

Dr Bawumia, who was speaking at the launch of the Ghana Card Number at Birth System at the Ga North Municipal Hospital in Accra yesterday, said the integration ensured that every child from zero to six years born in the country was immediately provided with a unique identity linking the child to the mother’s identity and securing such children a place within the national identity system.

“As we celebrate the significant progress made in birth registration coverage from 30 per cent to 70 per cent through digital interventions and public sensitisation, we acknowledge the challenges that lie ahead with the Ghana Card at Birth system,” Dr Bawumia said.

He, however, gave the assurance that a significant leap was being taken towards addressing those challenges to ensure no child was left unregistered or unrecognised.

How it works

The integrated Ghana Card at Birth system works by linking the mother’s record with the Ghana Card during the antenatal period.

So, when birth occurs in a health facility, it is captured in an electronic system.

The notification of the birth is sent to the Births and Deaths Registry system, which then issues a birth registration number and sends it back to the District Health Information System E-tracker or light wave.

Subsequently, the data of birth details and the birth registration number received from the Births and Deaths Registry is sent from the District Health Information System 2.

The E-tracker of light wave is then sent to the NIA with the picture of the mother, which is authenticated by the NIA as being a citizen.

A Ghana Card number is then generated for the baby and sent back to the health system.

A message is then sent to the mother to visit the nearest NIA and Births and Deaths Registry office to complete the process and get the card and birth certificate.

Benefits

The Ghana Card at Birth system is said to provide documentary evidence of legal identity, social relationship and rights from birth, ensuring social protection.

It also enables effective planning of essential services such as health, education and social welfare, which support economic growth and poverty reduction.

The new registration system would generate continuous demographic data for better national management, as well as sectoral improvements in health and well-being, and offer a reliable base for assessing progress in childhood health interventions to enhance health, well-being and economic development.

It is also to improve the accuracy of childhood mortality statistics, population projections and life expectancy computations, leading to targeted and efficient health and social interventions, and aid in computing district-level fertility estimates that enable precise targeting of population growth and policy interventions.

With the introduction of this system, Dr Bawumia said: “We are not only aiming to cover the current gap, but are also looking forward to registering children between the ages of five and 15, with ongoing discussions with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the NIA and the Ghana Education Service.

He said an announcement would be made shortly for the launch of that registration, which would close the gap in Ghana’s identity security platform.

The Vice-President described the event as a milestone in the journey of the nation towards digital transformation and effective governance.

He said the system allowed registration at health facilities across the country and ensured that no mother was excluded regardless of her location or socio-economic status.

Dr Bawumia said it was even more crucial in rural areas where access to government services could be limited and technology served as a vital bridge.

NIA registration

In recognition of these vulnerabilities, he explained, the NIA was established to register citizens above the age of 15 years.

Dr Bawumia said as of Monday, March 11, 2024, a total of 17,910,904 enrolment attempts had been made for Ghana Card, with 17,804,405 successfully enrolled.

Out of the successful enrolments, he announced that 17,750,476 cards had been printed and 17,075,232 of those had also been delivered to the applicants.

Additionally, he said, there were 53,929 cards that were ready to be printed, and that the registration of the 17.7 million adults above the age of 15 had left a critical gap-registration of the children on Ghana Card from birth.

The Executive Director of the NIA, Professor Kenneth Attafuah, said the registration for children from age six to 15 years would also commence in two- or three-months’ time.

He said when the system was fully rolled out, it would eliminate any form of contests about ages and citizens’ identification.

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kumah Aboagye, expressed delight about the introduction of the system, and said the E-tracker would ensure that all vital health information could be accessed remotely.