Statement : NPP UK Congratulates the Government on the use of Ghana Card as ePassport

The Digitalisation programme of the Government of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo remains on course.
The successes of the programme continues to be an envy to the doubting Thomases. From Mobile Interoperability to Digital address system, Ghanaians are benefiting and continue to show gratitude to the NPP Government for making the benefit of technology accessible to the ordinary Ghanaian.

When the NPP supported digitisation and digitalisation many naysayers were blind to the vision, and were only interested in casting insinuations at people in government. The birth of the Ghana card created multiple conversations from the birth of the idea, through the procurement process, to the birth of the card itself, not forgetting allegations of corruption and debates around the need for the card at all.

Many including the opposition NDC will fall into those who opposed the card with their strength and might.

Ghana can now boast of a world class secured card, with up to date biometric information that can now be used for international travel without the need for visas. This has created a huge euphoria among Ghanaians both in Ghana and the diaspora, but of cause there still those who continue to doubt the vision and who cannot see the real life applications of the card for travel.

With the recognition by the Civil Aviation Organisation in Canada (ICAO), and subsequent announcements to the International Air Transport Association ( IATA), the Ghana card will be accepted as Machine Readable Travel Document( MRTD).

This is a huge significant milestone not only in Ghana’s history but in the history of international travel. We hail the leaders who spend tireless nights and days supporting and seeing through the birth of the Ghana card.

In fact, research shows that there are about 120 countries with eID cards similar to Ghana’s National Identification Card, Ghana Card. There are also 70 countries that are currently developing a platform to have a Card that meets the ICAO’s standards. It is worth noting that, the European Union, per its 20th June 2019 regulation, the 2019/1157 EU regulation, gave its Member States two years to implement ID cards’ security features aligned with those of passports.

Many EU countries, including France, are working hard to meet this directive.
The UK has still not been able to issue a national ID card that meets ICAO’s standards.

This has become a huge opportunity created for Ghanaians in addition to other opportunities created by the NPP government such as the free SHS, NABCO, planting for food and jobs, one district one factory, one village one dam, drones for essential medicines and blood, and one constituency one ambulance, among many.

This milestone will undoubtedly boost investment from the Diaspora for Ghana in our quest to achieve a Ghana without aid.

Once again congratulations to the Government for putting Ghana on the international map through its Digitalisation drive.

Long live Ghana.
Long live the NPP.

……signed……
Nana Ansah Obofour–Director of Communications
Kwaku Bimpeh–Deputy Director of Communications
Barbara Osei-Wusu–Deputy Director of Communications