The National Identification Authority (NIA) of Ghana has dismissed 10 staff following investigations into allegations of misconduct, extortion of funds from Ghana Card applicants, and violations of the authority’s rules.
A statement issued by the NIA said the decision was arrived at after “thorough investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.”
“This included the interdiction of the affected officers, the appointment of a disciplinary committee of inquiry to provide a hearing for each officer in accordance with the law, and management’s subsequent acceptance of the disciplinary committee’s recommendations,” the statement said.
“The allegations against the dismissed officers included demanding and accepting unauthorised fees from Ghana Card applicants, as well as manipulating the registration system for personal gain.
“These acts of proven took place at NIA’s head office in Accra, Subin Sub-Metro District Office in Kumasi, Western Regional Office in Takoradi, Registrar General’s Department Office at Accra Central, Adentan Municipal Office and La-Nkwantanang Municipal Office,” the statement added.
Speaking on the matter during a recent round of visits to NIA’s 16 regional offices nationwide, the executive secretary of the NIA, Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, expressed NIA’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and ethical conduct.
The dismissal of the officers serves as a strong signal that respect for the fundamental human rights of NIA staff will go hand in hand with the swift and certain application of the law, aiming to establish a strong, ethical, agile, and professional national institution committed to building a country of which citizens can be truly proud.
Attafuah pledged to implement additional measures to prevent such misconduct from occurring in the future. This includes enhancing internal oversight mechanisms, conducting regular integrity training for staff, and establishing a channel for citizens to report any instances of misconduct or irregularity they may encounter during their interactions with the NIA.
“The NIA remains dedicated to fulfilling its mandate of providing reliable, credible, and transparent identification services to citizens while adhering to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct,” the statement added.
