The information contained in this response was provided by a professor at Wayne State University during a telephone interview with the IRBDC (18 Nov. 1991). According to this source, the system of identity cards pre-dates the present government. The system was first introduced in the border areas to control the movement of people to and from the bordering countries of Togo and Ivory Coast. This project, added the professor, has not been extended to all Ghanaians and to the best of his knowledge, it is not mandatory to carry identity cards in Ghana. A Ghanaian doctoral student in Political Science at Carleton university corroborated this information during a personal interview with the IRBDC (18 Nov. 1991). He stated that the system of identity cards was introduced in 1969 during the Busia regime so as to control the movement of people across the borders. The identity card bore the bearer's photograph. This system, the doctoral student further explained, was discontinued and has not been extended to all Ghanaians. He stated that to the best of his knowledge, there are no legal consequences for not carrying identity cards. He added that the only nationally recognized identity card in Ghana is the passport. Published and publicly available sources to corroborate this information are currently unavailable to the IRBDC in Ottawa.

Bibliography

Wayne State University. 18 November 1991. Telephone Interview with Professor.

Carleton University. 18 November 1991. Telephone Interview with Doctoral Student.