NIA GAZETTES 13,500 REGISTRATION CENTRES

The National Identification Authority (NIA) has completed the gazetting of 13,500 registration centres nationwide for the mass data capture exercise.
The Logistics Co-ordinator of the NIA, Mr Francis Denteh, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said that the gazetting of the centres was in fulfilment of Section 14 of the National Identification Registration Act 2008, which mandates prior notification of the names and location of registration centres by gazetting or through the mass media.
The law, he said, also prescribed that registration centres were selected based on their accessibility, safety and convenience, among other things.
Mr Denteh said some of the registration centres selected by the NIA were the same as the polling centres of the Electoral Commission (EC).
He further said that 1500 Mobile Registration Work Stations (MRWS) would be deployed to the regions, beginning with the Central Region.
According to him, the Central Region alone had 1500 registration centres that had been gazetted.
He mentioned some of the registration centres in the Central Region as the Catholic Chapel and the Methodist Primary School both at Abura-Dunkwa in the Abura/Asebu/Kwamankese District; the Ministry of Agric Offices and the Methodist JHS both at Agona Swedru in the Agona District, and the Zongo/Low Cost D/C School, and the Traditional Council Office, both in Komenda in the Komenda/Adina/Eguafo/Abirem District.
Mr Denteh added that because of the low population density of the Upper East and Upper West regions, the two regions would be treated as one operational area.
He explained that in areas of high population density, two MRWs would be situated at a registration centre that might serve two polling centres.
Other MRWs, he added, would be moved from one centre to another, especially in areas where there were hospitals and where people could not come to the registration centres to register.
Meanwhile, the NIA, the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Information Services Department (ISD) are in close collaboration to ensure public sensitisation for the mass registration exercise.
The Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Ernest Dumor, said public sensitisation and awareness had been planned at the regional and district levels and at registration centres.
He said while the ISD would be in charge of publicising general information on the exercise at the registration centres and districts, the public address systems of the EC would be used to give technical information about the exercise.
“The ISD is ready for the Central Region and they will be passing on information to people on exactly what to do during the exercise. The public address systems of the EC will be a back-up to this,” Prof. Dumor said.
DAILY GRAPHIC, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2008