The Office of the President has issued a strict directive prohibiting all Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), and Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) from procuring specialized biometric systems—including Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)—without prior written approval from the Presidency.
The circular, dated October 27, 2025, and signed by Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, declares that any procurement bypassing this process will be deemed illegal and subject to sanctions.
The move follows concerns over duplicated, overpriced, and incompatible biometric systems acquired by various public institutions, leading to wasted resources and data silos.
A 2024 audit by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) revealed that over GH¢180 million was spent on 42 separate biometric platforms across 28 MDAs and MMDAs, many of which cannot integrate with the National Identification Authority’s (NIA) Ghana Card ecosystem.
“Specialized biometric systems fall under national security and identity management infrastructure,” the directive states. “All such procurements must align with the National Digital Architecture Framework and the Ghana.gov interoperability platform to prevent fragmentation and ensure cost efficiency.”
Key requirements:
Written justification for the biometric need.
Technical clearance from the National Information Technology Agency (NITA).
Integration certification with the NIA’s AFIS.
Final approval from the Presidency via the Chief of Staff.
The directive cites recent cases, including a GH¢42 million AFIS deal by a district assembly later found redundant, and a GH¢28 million facial recognition system at a ministry incompatible with existing databases. “Such reckless spending undermines fiscal discipline,” it warns.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) welcomed the move, with Executive Director Prof. Kenneth Attafuah stating: “Ghana does not need 40 different fingerprint systems. One secure, centralized platform is enough.”
