Ghanaians urged to avoid photocopying Ghana cards for transactions

Moses K. Baiden, the Chief Executive Officer of Margins ID Group, has urged Ghanaians not to allow institutions to photocopy their Ghana Cards for transactions.

He said instead that citizens should insist on verification methods prescribed by the National Identification Authority (NIA).

Baiden made the call during a visit by the Ministry of Communication and its agencies to Margins ID Group in Accra.

The visit allowed the Ministry and its agencies to observe the intricate processes involved in producing the Ghana Card and to understand the various purposes the secure database can serve.

Participating agencies included Ghana Digital Centres, Cyber Security Authority, Data Protection Commission, Ghana Domain Names Registry, Ghana Post, and National Communication Authority.

The rest are the National Information Technology Agency, Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications, Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, and Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission.

He said the call was aimed at enhancing the security of personal data and ensuring the integrity of the national identification system as Ghana advanced towards a robust digital economy. Mr. Baiden said such photocopying or sharing digital copies could enable criminals to use others’ identities to commit fraud and other crimes.

“Any reproduction of the Ghana Card exposes the card owner to identity theft, emphasizing the importance of adhering to NIA guidelines to protect citizens’ identities,” he said. He explained that the NIA system required individuals to present themselves and provide fingerprint verification, which generates an audit code linked to the transaction. He said this method ensured a high level of security and authenticity in identity verification.

Baiden said the primary challenge in Ghana’s data protection and identification efforts was not related to data collection or technology but rather to attitudinal and enforcement issues.

He urged institutions to fully familiarize themselves with the NIA system to make informed decisions and adopt best practices.

He said the system provided a unique identity because the basis of fraud was to duplicate an identity. According to him, to commit a crime, the criminal must wear a mask digitally or physically to harm public and private resources. Therefore, he said the government prioritized ID as the first step in building a clean society.

Baiden said the legal process determined how secure an ID was because the technology must always follow the law. He said in an era where the world was swiftly transitioning towards digitization, data is essential for driving the digital economy.

The CEO described data as the new gold to drive the digital economy Ghana was building and stressed that a secure biometric database was crucial for the success of any digital economy. He emphasized that the effective digitization of services can significantly reduce the stress citizens endure, lower transaction costs, and enhance the government’s ability to deliver services more efficiently.

Baiden demonstrated how the secure biometric database supported not only the identity verification process but also a myriad of applications crucial for the digital transformation of the country. He said there was a need for accuracy and security in data management, pointing out that the digitization of services was a game-changer, offering numerous benefits such as reduced costs and improved service delivery.