Some residents in the Upper East Region are appealing to the National Identification Authority (NIA) to grant another extension for the ongoing Ghana Card registration exercise.
According to them, inadequate personnel and insufficient logistics of the registration team are to blame for the slow registration of applicants in the region.
Last week, the National Identification Authority extended the Ghana card registration exercise in the Ahafo, Bono, Bono East, Upper East and Upper West by one week.
The exercise which was scheduled to end in the above regions on 23rd November, 2019 will now be completed on Saturday, November 30, 2019.
However, some of the frustrated applicants told Citi News they have not been successful at securing their Ghana Cards since the beginning of the exercise, thus the request for another extension.
“The process has delayed. You join a queue to get your card again and it takes you more than a week. When you also due to come for the card, they will keep postponing the date. There are also not enough centres. We will appreciate it if they will create more centres or extend the deadline,” Ahmed Nurudeen, a driver stated.
“I have not had my card since I registered. I was here on Saturday and they told me the card is not ready. Today I am here again and they say they are experiencing difficulties,” Mohammed Alhassan complained.
“This is Ghana card to make me an eligible Ghanaian. Now, I have to spend the whole day here. I have been coming here everyday since last week Wednesday till today. I still do not have my card. What is the way forward? What should be done is that they should update the system and get more people to serve the masses,” Stella Adjei, a student noted.
Ghana Card registration and challenges
Many applicants have complained about the slow process of the registration exercise.
This has caused long queues at registration centres, a situation which patrons say take them from work, slowing down productivity.
Although some people are able to get their cards same-day or even instantly, the greater number of people have had to use two or three days to complete the process.
Some even sleep at the registration centres with the hope of being the first in line when the registration officers arrive.