The Department of Births and Deaths, which has been charged with recording the births and deaths of Ghanaians since before independence, is one of the most resource-hampered public institutions in Ghana today. In fact, it is collapsing.
Patrons of the agency, particularly those seeking birth certificates, it has been impossible for a long time, unless one is prepared to part with bribes to untrustworthy middlemen and ‘goro’ boys. Then, if one is lucky, one may get the certificate.
For those living in the rural areas, however, even the small comfort or discomfort of dealing with ‘goro’ boys is absent.
It is against this background that the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has announced that he is scheduled to launch the ‘Ghana card number at birth’ initiative on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
The initiative, which is politically charged as usual to further the so-called ‘digitalization’ policy, would be launched at the Ga North Hospital at Ofankor in the Greater Accra Region. It touts itself as an initiative to pave the way for every child born in Ghana to receive a ‘unique identity number’.
The Ghana card will, however, be handed over to the child when he or she attains 15 years.
The initiative is christened: “Ghana card number at birth,” which is being championed by the Office of the Vice President.
It formed part of efforts by the Government to ensure that every Ghanaian has a Ghana card to enable them to access basic social services with ease.
So far, the National Identification Authority has registered 17.5 million Ghanaians onto its biometric data register.
