Ghana makes biometric verification of national identity cards mandatory

Ghanaian businesses and institutions are now required to electronically scan national identity cards using a mobile application. Photocopying and visual inspection of the document are prohibited and subject to prosecution.

This represents a clear break with previous practices. In Ghana, every organization (whether a bank, a telephone operator, or a government agency) is now required to use a biometric verification application to check the national identity card, commonly known as the "Ghana Card." Simply visual inspection or photocopying the document is now illegal.

"It is now prohibited to photocopy or visually inspect a Ghana Card for transactional purposes. Biometric verification is mandatory," said Wisdom Yayra Koku Deku, director of the National Identification Authority (NIA), in an official statement.

The Ghana Card, introduced gradually over the last decade, has become central to daily life in this West African country. It is required for accessing banking services, registering SIM cards, and obtaining a passport or driver's license. All Ghanaian citizens and foreign residents are required to possess one.

The document contains biometric data collected by the NIA: ten fingerprints, iris scans, a photograph, and a signature. The mobile app allows users to verify this data after reading the document, making identity theft much more difficult than with a simple visual check.

Organizations that fail to comply with these new rules face fines of up to 24,000 Ghanaian cedis, or approximately $2,100. Individual offenders risk fines of up to 6,000 cedis (approximately $525). The NIA has urged organizations not yet connected to its digital verification system to begin the necessary steps immediately.

Deku stated that the government would inform the public in the coming days about the implementation of these new regulations and the measures planned to ensure compliance.