Ghana Cards captured on video purportedly ‘left to rot’ were not issued under Akufo-Addo – NIA

The National Identification Authority (NIA) has said the Ghana Cards captured in a video circulating on social media have outlived their 10-year life span and were not issued under the current Akufo-Addo-led administration.

A video circulating on social media captured some Ghana Cards purported to have been left to rot at the offices of the NIA.

Reacting to the video, in a statement issued on Tuesday, 5 July 2022, the Authority noted that its attention has been drawn to “a video in circulation on social media about some old Ghana cards allegedly “left to rot” at the Sowotuom office of the NIA in Accra.”

Clarifying issues surrounding the cards in the video, the NIA said: “The cards are 2D-Barcode cards printed between 2002-2014 but were never issued to Ghanaians; the cards have been kept in stores and basement of NIA Headquarters Building located at No.8 Nelson Mandela Avenue.”

It continued that the “cards have been audited by an NIA Board of Survey and passed for destruction as they have outlived their 10-year life span and cannot be used for any lawful purpose.”

It further continued: “For the avoidance of doubt, these 2D-Barcode cards are different from the current generation of the multi-purpose, dual-interface, chip-embedded, biometric smart cards being issued by NIA since 2018 under” the current Akufo-Addo-led government.

It also assured Ghanaians that the “printed but unissued ultra-modern smart cards meant for Ghanaians and eligible foreigners lawfully resident in Ghana are safe in NIA’s custody.”