By Mercy Darko
The National Identification Authority (NIA), has taken its registration exercise to the Weija Leprosarium to register cured lepers at the request of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia. This is part of efforts to enhance social inclusion and ensure no one is left behind.
Unlike the normal process, where fingerprints are also taken, the lepers had their facial ears and iris captured for registration. Vice President Bawumia, reiterating the importance of the National lD, stressed that it is key for national development.
Vice President Bawumia, who is a life patron of the Cured Lepers Aid Committee, has over the years supported them in various capacities and ensured that all cured lepers are placed on the government’s social intervention programme, especially the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), and they are also given stipends from the District Assemblies Common Fund.
The decision to take the registration exercise for the National ID to the Weija leprosarium was to save the lepers the stress of going through the process.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia said the Ghana Card will be key in all interactions, hence the need to register all to enhance social inclusion. He was optimistic that the move to register newborns would start in earnest by the end of the month.
The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority, Prof. Ken Attafuah, said so far, 17.4 million have registered. He outlined some other initiatives to register more people.
In a remark, the founder of the Lepers Aid Committee, Rev. Father Campbell, expressed gratitude to Vice President Bawumia for his support to lepers. He called for more support for the lepers.
