The Minister for the Interior, Mr Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revealed that more than 200,000 eligible children in the Volta Region are yet to be captured under the ongoing National Identification Authority (NIA) mass registration exercise for children aged six to 14 years.
He made the disclosure during a meeting with chiefs of the Asogli State in Ho as part of his two-day working visit to the region.
According to him, the registration exercise has so far recorded some progress, but still falls significantly short of the target set for the first phase.
Mr Mohammed-Mubarak explained that the NIA had initially projected to register over 300,000 children in the Volta Region, but only a little over 108,000 have been successfully enrolled so far.
“After the three-week registration exercise, we have been able to register a little over 108,000 children. This means that more than 200,000 eligible children are yet to be captured,” he said.
The Minister assured that government remains committed to ensuring that all eligible children are registered and integrated into the national identification system.
He indicated that a mop-up exercise would be conducted, followed by an additional registration phase to reach children who were not captured during the initial rollout.
“We will return to undertake a mop-up exercise, but that alone will not be enough. We will draw up another timetable and come back, possibly for another three weeks,” he added.
Mr Mohammed-Mubarak stressed that early registration of children is crucial for national planning, identity management, and future access to services such as education, employment, and security recruitment.
He noted that the exercise is part of a broader national effort to build a comprehensive and reliable identity database across the country.
The NIA launched the child registration exercise in the Volta and Oti regions in May as part of a nationwide programme to expand Ghana’s identity coverage.
