Accra, Ghana – Photocopying or visually inspecting a Ghana Card for the purpose of carrying out transactions is now an offence under an amendment to the National Identity Register Regulations, according to information shared by the Chief Executive Officer of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Wisdom Yayra Koku Deku on X.

The post said biometric verification is now mandatory for transactions requiring identity verification, following the coming into force of amendments to Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2111.

According to the update, organisations that fail to comply with the new requirement commit an offence and, upon summary conviction, face fines ranging from 500 to 2,000 penalty units.

Individuals who breach the law could also face penalties ranging from 50 to 500 penalty units.

The amendment, which was laid before Parliament three months ago, has now matured and was gazetted, making its provisions effective.

The post further indicated that the Minister responsible for the National Identification Authority (NIA) is expected to address the public in the coming days on measures being implemented to enforce the amended regulations.

Meanwhile, organisations seeking to integrate with the NIA’s Identity Verification Platform have been advised to apply by sending an email to idverification@nia.gov.gh.

The development is expected to strengthen identity verification processes and reduce fraud by making biometric authentication the standard for transactions requiring Ghana Card verification.