Extend Ghana Card, SSNIT merger - NIA & SSNIT Propose

Extend Ghana Card, SSNIT merger – NIA & SSNIT Propose

In the wake of the mad rush for the Ghana card on 31st December 2021 and the attended challenges faced by the National Identification Authority (NIA) at various work stations, the NIA and SSNIT have proposed and foresee an extension of the deadline for the SSNIT-GHANA card merger.

In an interview with Citi News, NIA’s Head of Corporate Affairs at NIA, Abudu Abdul-Ganiyu stated that if the deadline is extended it will help all those who are yet to merge their SSNIT and Ghana Cards to do so.

A spokesperson of SSNIT speaking to GBC on 31st December 2021 in an interview monitored by Ghanaeducation.org said, there is enough indication that many Ghanaians have not been able to merge the SSNIT and Ghana card as a result of their inability to get their Ghana card. He added that this challenge meant it was impossible for such persons to go through the process. He said the management of SSNIT will be meeting in the coming days to look at a possible extension.

The merger is in compliance with Regulation 7 (1) of the National Identity Register Regulations, 2012, L.I. 2111, and a directive from the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA). Some One million SSNIT members have merged both cards leaving nearly 600,000 more to do so.

“As it stands, we have some 500,000 to 600,000 SSNIT subscribers who have not yet gone through the process. So the expectation is that the deadline should be extended so that a lot more people will get the opportunity to register for the Ghana card and go through the process successfully.”

The merging of both cards took off on 28th June 2021 with 31st December 2021 as the deadline for all contributors of SSNIT and pensioners to merge the two numbers via shortcode *711*9# or the SSNIT website www.ssnit.org.gh/member

The reality on the ground is that some members of SSNIT have not merged their number with the Ghana Card which they blamed on the inaccessibility of the Ghana cards from the NIA.

In an earlier publication ” Merging SSNIT with Ghana Card: Extend the 31st Dec Closing Date by Ghana Education News (Ghanaeducation.org) news portal outlined several reasons why the deadline should be extended. The portal called for a continuous process instead of a one-time approach with a closing date that was not realistic.