I'LL ENSURE SUCCESS OF REGISTRATION EXERCISE

the newly appointed Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Ken Attafuah, has noted that his training and experience as a lawyer, criminologist and human rights advocate will be supported by the “considerable expertise” of his predecessor to ensure the success of the national registration exercise.
Effective July 1, 2008, Prof Attafuah took over from Professor Ernest Dumor, whose tenure as Executive Secretary has ended.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, Prof Attafuah said the appointment was one that required considerable expertise as a manager and a change agent, as well as the skills in the handling of extensive database.
Professor Dumor now assumes the post of Special Advisor to the Executive Secretary “in recognition of his considerable expertise in mass registration” to ensure continuity in the implementation of the strategic exercise, Prof Attafuah told the Daily Graphic.
Prof Dumor’s expertise in mass registration exercises when he was at the Electoral Commission had been tapped after he retired and he was subsequently appointed on a contract basis to initiate the NIA.
This month (August) Prof Dumor turns 65 and, according to Prof Attafuah, the latter’s contract could not be extended under the Constitution, hence the change.
He commended his predecessor, saying he had “done an excellent job of establishing the project and getting it started”.
Prof Attafuah served as the Executive Secretary of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) and prior to that he was an investigator at the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
Coupled with that, he said, his training as a criminologist came in good stead, as it equipped him with the ability to handle the type of data under the management of the NIA.
With all these, his training as a lawyer and the various appointments under the United Nations (UN), first as an international management consultant of the UN Mission in Liberia and as one of the consultants to the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, had all equipped him to discharge his duty at the NIA with integrity and commitment.
He said although the announcement of his appointment on local FM stations yesterday morning had surprised many, preparations for the appointment had begun long before the news broke.
Prof Attafuah’s letter of appointment obtained by the Daily Graphic mentioned his zeal to inform, educate and ensure the effective implementation of the programme as key factors for his appointment.
DAILY GRAPHIC, SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2008, PG 17