The Office of the President has issued a directive imposing moratorium on procurement and use of independent biometric Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) by all Ministries, Departmentd, Agencies and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs)
The decision, according to the Presidency is to ensure efficient resource utilization, safeguard data security, and promote standardization across all government biometric identification systems.
In a statement signed by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, the directive emphasizes that the National Identification Authority (NIA) remains the sole institution mandated under the law to manage and operate biometric identification systems for Ghanaian citizens and legally resident foreign nationals.
“Government has established a robust biometric AFIS under the National Identification System of the NIA to verify identities, eliminate duplication across government entities, enhance interoperability, and reduce the costs associated with maintaining multiple biometric databases,” the statement said.
The directive cited several legal frameworks backing the decision, including the National Identification Authority Act, 2006 (Act 707), National Identity Register Act, 2008 (Act 750), and the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).
Under the moratorium, all MDAs are prohibited from:Procuring or developing new biometric AFIS solutions,operating parallel biometric databases independent of the NIA and verifying identities without biometric authentication using the Ghana Card, as well as entering into new biometric-related contracts without authorization from the Presidency.
The directive further instructs MDAs currently operating separate biometric systems to synchronize their databases with the NIA within six months.
The NIA will provide technical support to facilitate data harmonization and integration into the National Identity Register.
The statement cautioned that any decision that floats the directive will be considered illegal and a blatant disregard of presidential directives.
The Minister for the Interior has been tasked to oversee enforcement of the moratorium, which takes immediate effect and will remain in force until further notice.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com
