By Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Accra, July 04, GNA – The Office of the Vice President, in collaboration with the National Identification Authority (NIA), on Tuesday, began registration of cured lepers at the Weija Leprosarium for Ghana-Card.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who is the Patron of the Lepers Aid Committee, initiated the registration of the cured lepers onto the NIA Register to ensure that no one is left behind in the acquisition of the Ghana-Card.
The enrolment of the cured lepers onto the NIA Register will take place at the various Leprosarium centres across the country including Ankaful, Ho, Kokofu, Nkachina and Wa.
At a brief ceremony at the Weija Leprosarium in Accra, to begin the registration exercise, Dr Bawumia said the Ghana-Card was critical in accessing public services, hence it was imperative for every Ghanaian to have the card.
He said there were 17 public services which Ghana Cardholders could access, saying; “This is to ensure that no one is socially, economically and politically excluded”.
The Ghana-Card had been used 120 million times for verification across the country, he said.
Professor Kenneth Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, said the Authority had registered 17.4 million Ghanaians aged15 years and above out of the population of 31 million.
There were about 18,000 printed cards being lodged at the 275 district offices of the NIA across the country.
“It is left with 2.5 million Ghanaians who are 15 years and above yet to be registered and so with the necessary logistics we can register them within two to three months,” he said.
Prof. Attafuah said his outfit would work closely with the Ghana Health Service and the Births and Deaths Registry, to register infants from zero to six months by issuing unique Ghana-Card numbers to them.
Beginning this month, he said, the NIA would enroll children aged six to 14 years onto its national register.
Reverend Father Andrew Campbell, the Chairman of the Lepers Aid Committee, expressed gratitude to the Vice President and the NIA for offering a special opportunity for the cured lepers to be registered at their respective centres for free.
In all, about 50 cured lepers were registered at the Weija Leprosarium.
GNA