By Hafsa Obeng, GNA
Accra, Nov. 2, GNA – The National Identification Authority (NIA) says it will begin enforcing the National Identity Register Amendment Regulation, 2026 (L.I. 2523), from Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Mr Williams Ampomah Emmanuel Darlas, Head of the NIA Corporate Affairs Directorate, said institutions that fail to comply will face legal sanctions.
He said the Authority would deploy a Biometric Verification Implementation Task Force to inspect public and private institutions and ensure compliance with the new regulations.
He said the three-month grace period granted by Mr Muntaka Mubarak, Minister of the Interior, , ends today, Monday, November 2, paving the way for the enforcement phase.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Monday, Mr Darlas said the Authority had undertaken extensive public education and stakeholder engagements during the grace period to prepare institutions and the public for the implementation of the regulation.
He said the NIA had conducted media campaigns on radio and television, social media sensitisation and engagements with public and private institutions, including those already connected to its verification platform and those yet to be onboarded.
Mr Darlas said the regulation required institutions and individuals undertaking transactions that required identity verification to use approved biometric verification methods rather than relying solely on visual inspection of the Ghana Card.
He said institutions were prohibited from photocopying, scanning or retaining copies of the Ghana Card for identity verification purposes.
He cautioned institutions against accessing the NIA’s verification platform through third-party providers, stressing that the authority did not engage intermediaries, resellers or agents to onboard institutions.
“Any institution seeking to access the National Identity Register for identity verification purposes must engage the NIA directly and undergo the Authority’s approved institutional onboarding processes,” he said.
Mr Darlas said institutions seeking access must be legally registered in Ghana, obtain certification from the Data Protection Commission and undergo technical integration with the NIA before signing an agreement with the authority.
He also warned institutions already connected to the platform against subletting their access to other organisations, particularly small and medium-scale enterprises.
He said the Authority had identified some institutions accessing the platform through arrangements with already onboarded organisations and would take action against them.
Mr Darlas said institutions found culpable of violating the regulations could face fines ranging from 500 to 2,000 penalty units, depending on the nature of the offence.
He said the NIA would also take administrative action against non-compliant institutions, including removing them from its verification platform and restricting their future access.
He emphasised that compliance with L.I. 2523 was a legal obligation and not optional, adding that institutions could not choose when to undertake biometric verification.
The regulations, he said, were intended to strengthen identity security, reduce impersonation and identity fraud, and protect the personal information of Ghanaians.
He urged institutions to immediately review their identity verification arrangements, ensure that their services were obtained directly from the NIA and regularise any existing arrangements that did not comply with the law.
Mr Darlas said the Authority would also monitor institutions’ compliance with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), warning that those found mishandling personal information could be removed from the platform.
He urged members of the public to report institutions that violated the regulations to the NIA through its Biometric Verification Task Force hotline, 030-2999-309.
He said the Authority would continue public education through radio, television and social media to ensure that the regulations were widely understood.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Hafsa Obeng