No More Football Age; President AKufo-Addo Announces

The era where citizens’ information on birth certificates, licences, educational certificates and other identification certificates in Ghana did not correspond, is over, the president of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, has assured.

He said the introduction and the integration of the National Identification System have eroded discrepancies in information about citizens.

He described the Ghana Card as a cradle-to-grave system and said has been integrated into our everyday lives.

“Never again will it be that someone, born in this country, will live a full life, die and be buried, without any record of his or her existence. The operations of the Births and Deaths Registry are finally being digitised to make sure that documents issued from that department are accorded the respect they should have.”

He noted that every child born in Ghana will be registered “and the date of birth registered will remain your date of birth throughout your life. There will be no school age, no football age, no SSNIT age, and no official age. When we register for National Health Insurance, the details of our identification will be the same as the details on a driving licence, a passport and yes, on our tax identification.”

Technology And Digitisation
He said “Today, we all have addresses at which we can be identified, even if we live, unfortunately for the time being, in a kiosk. And when we die, that inevitable rite of passage will be recorded to mark the end of our life”.

As part of the government’s aim of extending basic telephone voice and data connectivity to every part of the country, the president noted that the Rural Telephony Project is being undertaken by Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC).

Also, the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), the president said, has shot up customs revenue for 2021 to GH¢16.08 billion as opposed to GH¢12.03 billion in 2019 when ICUMS had not been implemented.

Additionally, President Akufo-Addo said the digitisation of hospital records has commenced with Teaching Hospitals through the Lightwave Health Information Management System and will cover every health facility in Ghana using a phased approach.

The president also said the most significant step toward making intra-African trade possible was the launch of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System(PAPSS).

He said it is a leading-edge technology connecting African banks, payment service providers and other financial market intermediaries to enable instant and secure payments between African countries.

He explained that the “PAPSS means a trader in Ghana can order supplies in Kenya with cedis and buy it in Kenyan shillings and not have to go through dollars or euros or pounds sterling. This will simplify the historical complexities and costs of making payments across African borders and provide operational efficiencies to open up vast economic opportunities for all stakeholders”.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini