"Toyota City" at...the National Identification Authority(NIA)

I suspected yesterday's post would far from elicit a response. Beyond the Ghanaian citizen who might be clueless, it was always going to be difficult for anyone to get a sense of where "Toyota City" was located.

Let me get the secret out: it is located at the headquarters of the National Identification Authority. Even the building is yet to be painted as glossily as most of these kind of buildings tend to look, but I must say that it is in a rather large compound, what with the Toyota pickups and all (see the last post).

You might re-call that in February, I experienced a rather long queue waiting to register details for my ID.

Well, this is the place where the cards will be eventually issued. I just checked the website (as the registration throughout the country is incomplete) and the last time it was updated was...20 April! Wow...

Let's keep our fingers crossed for better services from the NIA!

An Unnecessary Ghanaian Crowd -- Just to Register National ID?!

Though it is true that Ghanaians are naturally nosy and like to find out in both discreet and indiscreet ways what someone is doing, you might not believe me if I told you that this crowd has been formed because of the ongoing registration of the national ID card. This scene was taken in one of the Estate neighbourhoods that fall under the deceptively-sounding-prestigious "off Spintex road".

The crowd was rather amorphous on account of the denizens standing in the then-up-and-coming midday heat. Apart from the frustration and fatigue associated with this queue, people could not quite understand the incredibly slow pace of the registration. Sadly, despite media criticisms, the pace has not quickened.

Some might say "all in the name of democracy"!;-)

Better this pace than to be fighting a senseless war that characterised a good number of African countries two decades ago...

The Curious Case of Ghana's National Identification System

Websites without regular updates are far from impressive these days. Especially when they are national agencies. So, I cannot help but wonder what is happening with Ghana's national identification system. To read on its very rudimentary website that the mass registration has NOT been suspended is great to read...

...but not so great if that was in January 2009!

The public's still at a loss to what's happening!