The National Identification Authority (NIA) has commenced a nationwide enforcement operation targeting organisations and institutions that illegally photocopy Ghana Cards or rely on visual inspection rather than official biometric systems for identity verification.
The Authority has cautioned that non-compliant institutions risk prosecution and fines of up to GH¢24,000 under the National Identity Register (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2523).
This enforcement action follows the expiration of a grace period granted to organisations to transition to approved biometric verification infrastructure. Under the new legal framework, any transaction requiring identity verification must be validated through official biometric systems rather than paper duplicates or manual checks.
Addressing journalists on Monday, November 2, 2026, the Head of Corporate Affairs at the NIA, Williams Ampomah Darlas, confirmed that the Biometric Verification Taskforce will be deployed across the country starting Tuesday, November 3, to monitor full compliance.
He noted that the crackdown follows an extensive public education campaign and formal engagements with key commercial and institutional stakeholders.
“The grace period granted by the Minister has officially elapsed.
“Having completed our public education and stakeholder engagement activities, the Authority is now transitioning into full implementation and compliance enforcement,” Mr. Dallas stated.
He emphasised that field officers will inspect facilities across all sectors to ensure they have adopted certified biometric verification tools in accordance with L.I. 2523.
“Starting Tuesday, November 3, our taskforce will be on the ground visiting institutions to guarantee full adherence to L.I. 2523,” he added.
Mr. Darlas also urged the general public to cooperate during routine transactions, specifically advising customers at telecommunication service centres not to resist when asked to undergo fingerprint scanning, as staff are simply executing mandated legal procedures.
To support compliance for smaller operators, the NIA announced plans to introduce a mobile application that will enable individuals and small businesses to perform secure Ghana Card biometric verifications directly without needing direct integration into the Authority’s core enterprise platform.
Source: Collins Kofi Asante
