The head of Ghana’s National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Prof. Kwesi Botchwey, is decrying the decentralized nature of biometric identification in the country as it strives for a nation ID system, reports Myjoyonline.com.
Speaking at a meeting on the national ID project, Prof. Botchwey suggested that multiple organizations are collecting biometric data for ID card production, but are not working together. “You cannot have 10 different organisations collating the biometric data of the same group of people,” he argued.
Myjoyonline.com reports that collectively, Ghana has spent about Ȼ21 million, or roughly $5.3 million, on ID registration and card distribution, but schisms between organizations ranging from the National Health Insurance Scheme to the Passport Office have resulted in only 900,000 of 15 million registrants actually getting national ID cards. The government’s National Identification Authority is aiming to develop a national ID system that would include fingerprint, face, and iris biometric data, an effort thought to be crucial to the country’s long-term development aims.
Prof. Botchwey’s frustration is one that is shared in nearby Nigeria, whose President urged government agencies last year to share citizens’ biometric data in an effort to work toward more efficient, centralized management.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
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July 27, 2016 – by Alex Perala
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