How Mahama Government Vindicated Bawumiah Six Times on the Ghana Card in the past year 

By Dr. Margaret Simpson

Former Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is widely credited with championing the operationalisation of the Ghana Card and its integration with several national identification platforms as the nation's primary source of identification.

From the financial sector to telecommunications, through to accessing public many services, the Ghana Card has become a reliable, mandatory primary means of identifying Ghanaians and non Ghanaian residents in the country.

The Ghana Card has also become an essential tool in the fight against corruption due to its potency to expose identity fraud, especially on public payroll.

But the man who championed its implementation and integrationas a unique national ID card, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, did not have it easy, especially in the hands of his opponents.

He was opposed and, at best, misunderstood for dedicating so much of his time to the Ghana Card, which he insisted was essential in building a solid foundation for a modern economic transformation.

One time, when he opined that the benefits of the Ghana Card as a national identification system was more beneficial to the nation than 1000 interchanges, he was mocked by his opponents.

But one year after leaving office, those who led his mockery have turned around dramatically to acknowledge the indispensable role of the Ghana Card as a foundation to our much-sought after economic transformation as a country.

Below are 6 times the present NDC government of President Mahama has vindicated Dr. Bawumia in the Ghana Card.

1. May 2025: Ghana Card a model for Africa - Prez Mahama

Speaking at the 9th Ghana CEO Summit in Accra in May last year, just 5 months into office as President, President Mahama highlighted how the Ghana Card had become much more than just an identity card. He said the Ghana Card had become the backbone of a digitally sovereign and competitive economy.

President Mahama even added that the Ghana Card was so unique that other African nations were looking to replicate Ghana's model.

“I recently received a request from the DR Congo asking for a reference on Moses (CEO of Margins Ltd which developed the card) and the Ghana Card system. They wanted to know if they had done a good job. I said, yes, they did," said President Mahama.

2. May 2025 : Ghana Card to anchor new road tolls - Mahama

At the same event, President Mahama expressed amazement at how the Ghana Card had been integrated with some public services including vehicle registration. Therefore, he announced how the Ghana Card would be the anchor of a new road toll collection.

"Every vehicle is now linked to its owner's Ghana Card. We no longer need old tolls and those cards that you stand and open and all that. We just take a picture of your car, and then it would take the bill to your mobile money or your bank accounts and just pay one cedi,” the President disclosed.

3. September 2025: NIA boss admits Ghanacard has e-passport feature

In an interview with Joy News, new CEO of the National Identification Authority conceded that the Ghana Card has an e-passport feature.

Despite an ICAO event in Canada to officially unveil the recognition of the Ghana Card as having e-passport features, many, including key officials of the NDC ridiculed Bawumia, who championed the project, and said it was not true that the Ghana Card could be used as a travel document.

Yayra Koku's public admission as new CEO of the NIA
admission vindicated the former Vice President.

4. December 2025: Ghana Card mandatory for all insurance transactions

A government announcement that the Ghana Card will, from January this year, become mandatory for all insurance transactions, again highlighted the importance of the Ghana Card to the nation.

According to a notice issued by the National Insurance Commission (NIC), all customers would be required to present a valid Ghana Card before completing any insurance transaction, including the purchase and renewal of insurance policies.

5. January 2026: No Ghana Card, no forex transaction -

In another move by the government, a
new strict rules using the Ghana Card was announced for Forex Bureaux transactions to curb money laundering and other financial crimes.

The Bank of Ghana and the Financial Intelligence Centre announced the new stringent measures, requiring forex bureau operators to demand Ghana Card from all customers before conducting forex transactions in the country.

6. January 2026: Ghana Card compulsory for every bank transaction -

In another move to curb fraud in the financial sector, the governemnt and the Bank of Ghana issued a revised and a strict Supervisory Guidance Note, making the Ghana Card a mandatory identification document for all accountable institutions and transactions in the country.

The directive, which was issued in the last quarter of 2025 was published through a Central Bank notice on its website on January 8, 2026, as a new, rigorous verification procedures for both new and existing customers using the Ghana Card.