The Chief Executive of the Ghana Association of Banks, John Awuah, has raised serious concerns over the growing trend of Ghana Cards being issued to non-Ghanaians, warning that the situation is becoming a national security threat.
In a strongly worded post shared on LinkedIn, Mr. Awuah expressed shock over how groups of foreigners, many of whom cannot speak any local language or even basic English, are appearing at banks with Ghana Cards that are supposed to be exclusive to citizens.
“These are not Ghana Cards issued to foreigners. These are the ones meant strictly for Ghanaians,” he lamented, questioning how individuals who cannot identify hometowns or communicate effectively manage to secure such documentation.
Mr. Awuah alleged that some corrupt staff within the National Identification Authority (NIA) may be operating a syndicate to facilitate these fraudulent issuances, calling it a “cartel” that risks discrediting the entire national identification system.
“NIA, please watch your internal processes. If we lose Ghana Card to greed, what becomes of our identity as Ghanaians?” he queried.
He further cautioned that fraudsters are taking advantage of the situation to scam unsuspecting Ghanaians, stressing that the implications of these illegal acts go beyond documentation and affect national integrity and security.
The banks’ boss is calling on the NIA to urgently investigate and tighten its verification processes to restore credibility, describing the situation as a looming “national disaster.”
