All Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) cardholders are being urged to begin processes to merge their numbers to the National Identification card, also known as Ghana card, from today, Monday, June 28, 2021.
This forms part of the government’s plan to synchronise all identification numbers onto the Ghana card system.
According to the Director General of SSNIT, Dr. John Ofori Tenkorang, its members or contributors have from today to the end of the year to update their Ghana card details with their SSNIT numbers.
“The plan is that by the end of this year, we would have merged all the numbers of our existing members and migrated them onto the NIA platform and that will enable us to ensure that the Ghana Card becomes the only accepted means of identification required for members to transact business with SSNIT, starting January 2022. So we have six months to go through this process,” he stated.
Process
The General Manager in charge of Management Information Systems at SSNIT, Godson Ladzekpo, outlined the processes Ghanaians would need to follow to have their SSNIT numbers merged with their Ghana card numbers.
“Dial *711*9# on any phone, whether Android or not. Select Option 1 which states that you want to merge your NIA and SSNIT numbers. Enter your 13-digit SSNIT number, then key in your NIA number. A message would pop up with your name. Select Option 1 to complete the merging of your SSNIT and NIA numbers. A message then pops up which tells you that the merger process is ongoing. If the process is successful, you would have a message sent to your e-mail,” he explained.
Members can also visit the SSNIT website to have their numbers merged.
Reason for the merger
The merger is also 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).
The intended merger is expected to improve the ease of doing business with the Trust by providing a convenient means to allow members to use one card, that is the Ghana Card, for all transactions.
The regulation, among other things, requires the use of the Ghana Card as a means of identification for “transactions pertaining to individuals in respect of pensions”.
Ghana Card to become standard ID card
The government of Ghana, in pushing its digitalization agenda, has begun a series of synchronization processes to make the Ghana Card the sole source of identification for persons living in Ghana and for accessing public services in the country.
Already, the National Health Insurance Card has been integrated with the Ghana Card as part of the consolidation process.
Ghana Card holders can now use their cards to access health services at all NHIS accredited service providers across the country.
The government also announced a replacement of the Tax Identification Number, TIN, with the Ghana card number as part of efforts to identify and rope in more eligible taxpayers, especially those in the informal sector.
This process started on April 1, 2021, and is expected to see the country’s domestic revenues increase.
Additionally, the Ghana card now stands as the only form of identification being used for SIM card registration.
The newest development is the merger of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) numbers onto the Ghana card.
Source: citibusinessnews.com
