Ghana Card Goes Global, Now Accepted at Over 44,000 Airports Worldwide – NIA
Ghana Card Strengthens Global Identity System as NIA Expands Registration, Digital Verification, and International Recognition
- Ghana Card now accepted for travel within ECOWAS and at over 44,000 airports worldwide
- NIA has registered over 19.4 million Ghanaians and processed 200 million biometric verifications
- Authority resumes child registration and pushes biometric verification reforms in Parliament
The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Wisdom Kwaku Deku, says the Ghana Card has achieved global recognition and is now accepted as a valid form of identification for travel within the ECOWAS sub-region and at more than 44,000 airports worldwide.
Speaking at the Authority’s 20th anniversary celebration, Mr. Deku said the national identification system has significantly reduced identity barriers and improved access to public and private services across Ghana.
He revealed that the NIA has registered more than 19.4 million Ghanaians aged 15 and above and issued over 18.7 million Ghana Cards. Additionally, over 229,000 foreign nationals have been enrolled into the system.
According to him, the introduction of free issuance at the inception of the National Identification System helped eliminate financial barriers and unified identity records across the country.
“The Ghana Card we hold today is recognised for travel within the ECOWAS sub-region and is accepted at over 44,000 airports worldwide,” he stated.
Mr. Deku also highlighted major digital gains, noting that the Identity Verification System Platform (IVSP) has processed more than 200 million biometric verification requests successfully without any system failure.
He further disclosed that the Authority cleared a backlog of over 640,000 Ghana Cards in 2025, improving service delivery nationwide.
The NIA boss added that nationwide registration for children aged six to 14 has resumed, with more than 90,000 children already registered in the Volta and Oti regions.
He also indicated that proposed legislative amendments before Parliament will make biometric verification mandatory for transactions to further strengthen Ghana’s digital identity security system.
