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Ghana Cards captured on video ‘old’; not issued under Akufo-Addo – NIA clarifies
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has said the Ghana Cards captured on video circulating on social media have outlived its 10-year life span.
It clarified that the cards were not issued under the current Akufo-Addo-led administration.
A video circulating on social media captured some Ghana Cards purported to have been left to rot at the offices of the NIA.
Reacting to the video in a statement issued on Tuesday, 5 July 2022, the Authority noted that its attention has been drawn to the video in circulation on social media about some old Ghana cards allegedly left to rot at the Sowotuom office of the NIA in Accra.
Clarifying issues surrounding the cards in the video, the NIA said the cards are 2D-Barcode cards printed between 2002-2014 but were never issued to Ghanaians.
It said the cards have been kept in stores and basement of NIA Headquarters Building located at No.8 Nelson Mandela Avenue.
The cards, according to the Authority have been audited by an NIA Board of Survey and passed for destruction as they have outlived their 10-year life span and cannot be used for any lawful purpose.
The statement noted that “for the avoidance of doubt, these 2D-Barcode cards are different from the current generation of multi-purpose, dual-interface, chip embedded, biometric smart cards being issued by NIA since 2018 under” the current Akufo-Addo-led government.
It also assured Ghanaians that the “printed but unissued ultra-modern smart cards meant for Ghanaians and eligible foreigners lawfully resident in Ghana are safe in NIA’s custody.”
Source: classfmonline.com
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
