Ghana urges state entities to harmonize biometric verification databases

President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana has directed all state institutions to standardize and harmonize their biometric identification and verification systems within the next six months.

A moratorium issued recently by the secretary to the president, Dr Callistus Mahama, indicates that henceforth, all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as decentralized bodies, state corporations and regulatory agencies, must stop procuring and deploying independent Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS). This means that they must halt the operation of parallel biometric databases to that run by the NIA.

Per the presidential directive, all biometric verification must be based on one central repository overseen by the National Identification Authority (NIA) which runs the country’s population registry.

According to the president, all the state institutions and other parties concerned with the moratorium must make use of the AFIS system which the government has put in place.

The directive, according to the president, aligns with the objectives for setting up the AFIS which are to verify the identities of persons who transact business that require them to be identified using the Ghana Card, eliminate duplication of systems across government entities, reduce costs associated with maintaining multiple biometric databases, and strengthen national identification and verification mechanisms.

To that effect, all MDAs currently operating independent biometric AFIS must take steps to integrate with the National Identification System of the NIA within a period no later than six months from the date of signature of the directive, the president said.

“NIA shall provide the necessary technical support to MDAs to facilitate data harmonization and integration into the National Identity Register and the Identity Verification System Platform of the NIA,” the directive states, adding that “the Minister for Interior shall oversee the implementation of this moratorium and take necessary enforcement actions where required.”

The president warned that any state entity which requires the running of a specialized biometric system due to its unique operational needs must submit a justification to the Office of the President and obtain written approval from the Presidency, because “any non-compliant procurement shall be deemed illegal and blatant disregard of this directive.”

The president’s moratorium also urges entities to avoid verifying the identities of persons they transact business with using ocular inspection of the Ghana Card without biometric verification and authentication, something the NIA has also warned against in the recent past.

Ghana’s neighbour Nigeria has also been talking about harmonizing biometric databases in the country to facilitate biometric verification across MDAs and also to enhance data interoperability.

Article Topics

AFIS  |  Africa  |  biometric identification  |  biometric verification  |  biometrics  |  Ghana  |  National Identification Authority (NIA)