GHANA CARD: According to the announcement made by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, preparations are complete for the historic distribution of National Identification numbers, also known as Ghana Card numbers, to all newborn children in Ghana.
This is as a result of the Births and Deaths Registry, the National Identification Authority, and the Ghana Health Service successfully integrating their respective databases.
On Saturday, July 22, the Vice President made the announcement, saying that the first Ghana Card number was issued to a newborn baby on Friday, July 21, following a successful test run of the system. The Vice President made the admission.
“The work of integrating the databases has been finished. The full test was done yesterday, and I am happy to report that the first Ghana Card number for a baby was issued yesterday. I am very excited about this.”
“This means that within the next month or two, all babies born in Ghana will be issued the Ghana Card number and also obtain their Birth Certificate Identification number at the same time because the two databases are talking to each other.
Ghana Card number issuance to new borns ready for take-off
This will take place once they take the baby to the weigh-in station after they have given birth. As part of the process, determinations will be made regarding the nationalities of the parents.
Dr. Bawumia said, “This is very transformational,” and went on to explain that they will have these numbers from the time they are babies until the time they pass away. “This is very transformative,” he said.
When the children are older and their digits and other traits have fully formed, officials from the National Identification Authority (NIA) said that they will give cards with the biometrics and other data to the children. The kids will be carrying these cards.
Dr. Bawumia emphasised, while speaking in Cape Coast at the 75th Anniversary celebrations of Ghana National College, that the issuance of ID numbers at birth was an integral part of the government’s ongoing digitalization agenda, which was designed to prepare the nation to fully participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This agenda was designed to prepare the nation to fully participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The Ghana Card is progressively becoming the only source of proof of identity, with the one-of-a-kind number serving many functions, such as the Social Security number, the Health Insurance identification number, and the Tax Identification number.
Vice President Bawumia issued a challenge to management, staff, and students in educational institutions to embrace the possibilities offered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve teaching, problem solving, and critical thinking.
He noted that AI could be deployed meaningfully to bridge the gap between the developed and developing worlds. Vice President Bawumia praised the impact Ghana National College has had on Ghana’s pre-and post-colonial lives.
“There is every justification for our children to be exposed to AI. If we are in agreement that the boys and girls in our schools today are being taught to compete in the global arena, then there is every reason for our students to be exposed to AI.
“The ongoing digitization agenda that the government is working on is ample testament to its respect for AI and its dedication to ensuring that our country does not fall behind other nations.
As a central tenet of our economic policy, we have prioritised the pursuit of digitalization because the Fourth Industrial Revolution is currently underway and we are required to participate in the modern world.
‘While the government will do its part by leading the charting of a pathway to the deployment of meaningful AI in our national life, I want our educational authorities to create and deploy creative teaching methodologies that factor in ICT as a crucial ingredient,’ he added.
While the government will do its part by leading the charting of a pathway to the deployment of meaningful AI in our national life,’ he said.
