You built the road, you paid the contractor; now pay to walk on it
On Sunday, 1 November, the state switched on its cameras above the asphalt. Within hours, TraffiTech-GH dominated every radio phone-in show and trotro station argument in Accra. Drivers debated automated speed tickets and DVLA text alerts.
After installing surveillance cameras on asphalt roads, the Ghanaian state found itself celebrating widespread coverage of automated speed enforcement systems. However, a far more significant aspect of Digital Public Infrastructure went largely unnoticed. The National Identification Authority (NIA) quietly bypassed regulatory processes and integrated its systems with various sectors such as banking, healthcare, and public registration offices.
The three-month grace period under the National Identity Register (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2523) ended on November 2nd, 2023. Within a day, enforcement units began their crackdown on those who violated the new rules. The NIA's enforcement taskforce started enforcing the new law, with criminal penalties for those who failed to comply.
The NIA mandated biometric identity verification for all regulated transactions, meaning citizens could no longer simply present their Ghana Card for verification. The law even targeted third-party intermediaries, forcing businesses to establish direct connections with the NIA. The legislation caught many off guard as the state had not yet provided the necessary infrastructure, such as a mobile app for citizens to verify each other's identities.
Furthermore, public agencies were left without biometric scanning equipment, forcing officers to rely on manual methods, which led to potential violations of the law.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
