Ghana’s National Identification Authority (NIA) has begun enforcing biometric verification of the Ghana Card, according to ID Tech’s report of 5 November 2026. The grace period under the new rules ended on 2 November, and an NIA task force started visiting institutions the following day. NIA corporate affairs head Williams Ampomah Emmanuel Darlas told reporters in Accra the teams would be out in force.
Under the National Identity Register (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2523), institutions must verify cards biometrically rather than by photocopy or visual inspection, and may not scan or retain copies for identity checks. Access must be direct, with no resellers or sub-letting. Those in breach may face prosecution, fines of up to GH¢24,000 and removal from the verification platform. Joining requires legal registration in Ghana, certification from the Data Protection Commission, technical integration and a signed agreement. Further provisions extend verification duties to individuals in transactions such as land sales. The NIA says no new cards or fresh biometric registration are needed.
For individuals and small businesses, the NIA has built an app returning a simple yes-or-no answer on whether a person is who they claim to be. Mr Darlas said the information it holds would not expose Ghanaians to identity fraud.
Reporting note: This rests on one trade-press report relaying NIA statements. The article cites no independent assessment of the rules or of the NIA’s fraud-protection assurance, which remains unverified.
Photo: Muntaka Chasant / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
