Ghana Card to serve as e-passport from the second quarter of next year
The Ghana card will from the first quarter of 2022 serve as an e-passport and be recognized globally as such, according to Vice president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
He revealed the acceptance by the International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO) of the card serving as an e-passport from the second quarter of 2022.
The Vice President also indicated a success Ghana as a country chalked on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, by being the 79th member to join the ICAO.
He explained that this will enable Ghana’s major identification document produced by the National Identification Authority to be allowed as means of identification during international travels.
“This means that by the end of the first quarter next year, the Ghana Card will be recognized globally as an e-passport,” he stressed, adding: “When this happens, holders of the Ghana Card will be allowed to board any flight to Ghana.”
He further assured Ghanaians abroad the era where they needed visas to travel to Ghana will be a thing of the past.
Therefore, the good news to diasporan Ghanaians is that when the Ghana Immigration Service is linked to the NIA architecture, diasporan Ghanaians who hold the Ghana Card should not have to obtain visas to travel to Ghana.
“We expect this to be operational by the end of the first quarter of next year.
“Ghana is one of the few countries in the world where the national ID card is also an e-passport.”
Records show that 15 million Ghanaians have acquired their Ghana Card as government targets covering most of the population by the end of 2022.
The Ghana Card is also now the main document you need to successfully register your sim for the ongoing nationwide SIM card registration exercise, which ends in March 2022.
“The issuance of the Ghana Card has provided Ghana with a database that will be the anchor for all transactions in the future, providing a unique identity to all individuals,” Dr Bawumia added.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
