The National Identification Authority (NIA) has disclosed substantial outstanding debts owed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), which are impacting its ability to process and print Ghana Cards.
Prof. Kenneth Attafuah, Executive Secretary of the NIA, revealed that the NHIA owes the NIA $58 million, while the GRA has an outstanding debt of GHC288 million.
These debts have been accumulating since 2020.
During a session with the Assurances Committee of Parliament on August 26, 2024, Prof. Attafuah explained that these financial obligations contribute to the NIA’s difficulties in printing Ghana Cards.
Currently, 151,896 cards are cleared and ready for printing, but outstanding payments to its technical partners hinder the Authority.
Additionally, there is a backlog of approximately 559,457 cards, while over 17 million cards have been issued to the public.
Prof. Attafuah assured that the NIA is prepared to expedite the printing and issuing of all outstanding cards once the debts are resolved.
He noted that the Authority also has significant debts to its partners, including Identity Management Systems Limited.
Earlier this year, some of NIA’s partners, including Identity Management Systems, withheld over 3.5 million cards due to the government’s failure to settle its debts.
As of August 20, 2024, more than 18 million Ghanaians were registered in the national identity register, and 17 million Ghana Cards had been printed.
The NIA is awaiting the resolution of these financial issues so that it can continue its work effectively and reduce the card production backlog.
