Sammi Awuku Raises Alarm Over Financial Crisis at NIA, Warns of National Security Threat

Sammi Awuku Raises Alarm Over Financial Crisis at NIA, Warns of National Security Threat

The Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Committee on Public Administration and State Interests, Hon. Sammi Awuku, has sounded an urgent alarm over the deteriorating financial situation at the National Identification Authority (NIA), warning that the crisis poses a potential threat to national security.

According to the Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, the NIA is currently under severe financial pressure, primarily due to substantial unpaid debts by key government institutions. Awuku revealed that the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) alone owes the NIA over GHS 376 million, while the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is yet to pay a debt of over USD 50 million.

In a public statement, the MP indicated that the NIA, after several failed attempts to get the funds released, has taken the drastic step of disconnecting the GRA from its Verification Services Platform. The platform is critical to taxpayer identity verification and the smooth functioning of import and export transactions.

“This goes beyond funding issues,” Awuku stated. “The effect of these financial constraints is the NIA’s inability to carry out vital system upgrades or implement international best practices in data protection—an issue that is gradually evolving into a cybersecurity and national security threat.”

Awuku emphasized that if the NIA's systems were to be compromised, the ramifications would be significant, ranging from identity theft to institutional collapse. He further described the situation as a “real, growing danger” that cannot be ignored.

The MP also criticized the government's failure to adequately fund the authority, noting that only GHS 21 million of the GHS 78 million requested for capital expenditure was approved in the 2025 national budget.

“How do we expect the NIA to protect the identity of over 32 million Ghanaians with such inadequate resources?” he asked. “We cannot continue to postpone the resourcing of essential state institutions and only act when disaster strikes.”

Hon. Awuku called on the Ministry of Finance and the government at large to intervene immediately, warning that Ghana’s digital identity infrastructure and national trust were at stake.

“This is a wake-up call,” he concluded. “Institutions that protect our identity must be protected themselves. We must act now—not later.”