Government Makes Biometric Verification Mandatory for Ghana Card Under New LI 2523 | Discuss Ghana

Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has announced that real-time biometric verification is now mandatory for validating identities using the Ghana Card under the newly enacted National Identity Register (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2523).

Addressing a press briefing, the Minister explained that under the new regulations, visual inspection and the practice of requesting, scanning, or photocopying physical Ghana Cards for identity verification are now prohibited. Institutions including banks, telecommunication companies, health facilities, and government agencies must now verify cardholders directly through the National Identification Authority's (NIA) biometric platform. A three-month transition period running from July 27 to November 2, 2026, has been established to enable organisations to integrate their systems with the NIA platform.

Mandating biometric verification strengthens personal data privacy, combats identity fraud, and enhances the overall security of Ghana's digital governance infrastructure.