Chaired by Mr Moses Afetsi Positive, a businessman, the other board members are Wisdom Kwaku Deku, Executive Secretary, NIA; Dr Gifty Seiwaa Nyarko, Vice Prin­cipal, SDA College of Education Asokore-Koforidua; Eric Coffie, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, Government Stat­istician, Ghana Statistical Service; MrKwesi Afreh Biney, Director General, Social Security and Nation­al Insurance Trust (SSNIT).

The rest are Dr Senanu Kwesi Djokoto, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Operations, NHIA; Samuel Adom Botchway, Registrar, Birth and Death Registry; Mrs Rosemary Addo Parker, Assistant Commis­sioner, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs Division, and Philip Peter Andoh, Acting Deputy Comptroller of Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Legal Directorate.

Inaugurating the governing board, the minister said the call is a reaffirmation of our nation’s dedica­tion to establishing and providing a reliable, secure, and comprehensive national identity system for every Ghanaian.

Alhaji Muntaka commended the achievements by the NIA in the nationwide distribution of blank cards to all 266 district offices, which had helped clear registration backlogs and allowed for unin­terrupted registration across the country under the leadership of the executive secretary.

“Since the assumption of office by Wisdom Kwaku Deku, in Janu­ary this year, the authority has been able to distribute nationwide blank cards to all 266 district offices, enabling the clearing of the regis­tration backlog, paving the way for fresh ones, uninterrupted registra­tion across the country”, he said.

He explained that the reloca­tion of the premium registration centre from the authority’s head office to a more accessible location at the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) would improve service delivery and the overall customer experience, especially for citizens opting for premium services.

Alhaji Muntaka explained that plans were also underway to extend the online appointment system to the Ashanti Region and subse­quently to other regions.

“I’m pleased to note that the online booking system will be extended to the Ashanti region and subsequently rolled out to other regions in the coming weeks,” he added.

Despite the progress, the minis­ter acknowledged that the author­ity still faced notable challenges, among them was inadequate fiscal allocation.

He stressed that without sufficient financial resources, the authority’s ability to modernise and expand operations would be constrained.

“We must work together across government and stakeholder insti­tutions to ensure that this critical national authority is adequately resourced,” he stated.

He reminded the newly inaugu­rated board of their legal mandate under the National Identification Authority Act, 2006 (Act 707), to provide policy direction and over­sight for the authority.

The board members pledged their commitment to the task ahead and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve.