The National Identification Authority (NIA) has responded to reports about the possession of a Ghana card by Aisha Huang, a Chinese national tagged as a “galamsey queen or kinpin” by Ghanaians.
NIA in a statement explained that it does not have the name Aisha Huang captured in its database.
“The National Identity Register (NIR) compiled by NIA does not contain any record of a person named Aisha Huang. Put differently, the name Aisha Huang does not exist in the National Identification System (NIS) database,” NIA said in the statement.
It emerged that, Aisha Huang in the wake of her re-arrest over illegal mining activities in the country despite her deportation was found to be in possession of a Ghana Card bearing the name Huang En.
Explaining the viral Ghana card image suggesting that the galamsey kingpin has been given the Ghana card, the authority said that the particular registration was done in 2014 with the name Huang En and was renewed in 2016 and 2018 in Kumasi.
It said a Chinese national tried to register a new non-resident Ghana card in August 2022 with the name Ruixia Huang, but its system flagged it because the biometric details matched that of Huang En.
Since she could not provide proper details to authenticate her new identity, NIA in the statement said: “Huang En opted to renew with the old details and then go through the affidavit and gazette process later, after which she would then provide the documents for the update to be done. Her renewed Non-Citizen Ghana Card was then issued to her on 25th August 2022, bearing the old name. This card is what is now impugned and trending on social media.”
“It must be emphasized that possession of the Non-Citizen Ghana Card does not confer or amount to having Ghanaian citizenship,” NIA clarified.
Below is how the NIA explained the controversy:
1. On 26th February 2014, a Chinese woman named HUANG EN registered as a first time applicant for a foreigner identity card at the Foreigner Identification Management System (FIMS) registration centre at Nhyiaeso, Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region (passport attached). Her biometrics were captured and she was issued with a Non-citizen Ghana Card. She subsequently did two more renewals on 31st August 2016 and 8th January 2018, using the same details and Chinese passport number G39575625. Throughout all these registrations her details remained unchanged as below.
Forename: En
Surname: Huang
Date of Birth: 07-Jul-86
Personal ID Number: CHN-010039480-J
Passport Number: G39575625
2. On 25th August 2022 at 10:35 am, an incident occurred at the FIMS Registration Centre in Tamale, Northern Region, involving a Chinese national who visited the centre as a first-time applicant with the following details:
Forename: RUIXIA
Surname: HUANG
Date of Birth: 07-Nov-75
Passport Number: EJ5891162
3. The registration, however, went into a technical state known as ‘RejectedDueAFIS’, which meant that the biometrics of RUIXIA HUANG possibly matched that of an already existing person in the NIS database. The registration officer therefore sent a request to the technical support team for further investigations. This revealed that, based on the biometrics provided, “RUIXIA HUANG” had previously registered as EN HUANG in the FIMS record under the NIS database. When confronted by the registration officer with this information, she claimed to have changed her name. As per NIA’s normal registration process, EN HUANG was asked to provide an official certified affidavit and a gazette as required by law to support the change of name if the details in the passport with number EJ5891162 were to be used to update her old records.
4. EN HUANG was then given the option of waiting to bring in the required documents before her details could be updated or renewing her old registration with her Personal ID Number CHN-010039480-J, without any change in details. She opted to renew with the old details and then go through the affidavit and gazette process after which she would then provide the documents for the update to be done. Her renewed Non-Citizen Ghana Card was then issued to her on 25th August 2022, bearing the details below:
Forename: EN
Surname: HUANG
Date of Birth: 07-Jul-86
Personal ID Number: CHN-010039480-J
5. HUANG EN opted to renew with the old details and then go through the affidavit and gazette process later, after which she would then provide the documents for the update to be done. Her renewed Non-Citizen Ghana Card was then issued to her on 25th August 2022, bearing the old This card is what is now impugned and trending on social media.
6. It must be emphasized that possession of the Non-Citizen Ghana Card does not confer or amount to having Ghanaian citizenship.
7. The NIA’s verification system functioned as designed to enable NIA prevent HUANG EN from registering under a new name and date of birth for a new Non-Citizen Ghana Card, despite her being in possession of two Chinese passports.
