The Ghana Card is the national Identity card that is issued by the Ghanaian authorities to Ghanaian citizens – both resident and non-resident, legal and permanent residents of foreign nationals. It is proof of identity, citizenship and residence of the holder. The current version is in ID1 format and biometric. It is issued by the National Identification Authority of Ghana and Regarded as a property of the country as such. In July 2023, through the initiative of the Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, new card numbers were issued to newborn babies as part of pilot program to incorporate newborn babies unto the database.

In 1973, national identity cards were issued to citizens in the border regions of Ghana including Volta, Northern, Upper East and Upper West, Brong Ahafo, and parts of the Western Region.

The project was discontinued three years later due to problems with logistics and lack of financial support. This was the first time the idea of national identification systems arose. Again, in 1987, the Government of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) through the National Commission for Democracy (NCD), revisited the national identity card concept by establishing committees including a Technical Implementation Committee. Due to economic difficulties, the issue was not pursued. Once again, in 2001, when the National Economic Dialogue was convened, the National Identification System (NIS) was seen as a major policy concern. As a result, a multisectoral Technical Committee consisting of stakeholder organisations was established to do the following:

The Technical Committee completed its assignment in 2002 and submitted a report to the Cabinet. The report was accepted, but it had to form a basis for the government and state to:

By 2003, the National Identification Secretariat was set up to implement and manage the National Identification System (NIS). The Act establishing the National Identification Authority was passed in 2006, with Prof. Ernest Dumor appointed as the Executive Secretary. Under his tenure, the NIA was able to acquire a host of logistical items required for institutional building of the NIA. The authority was able to acquire 1,510 Mobile Registration Workstations for the mass registration exercise that came with chargers and batteries from the NIA's technical partner SAGEM from France.

Pick-up trucks, vans and civilian buses were procured for the mass registration exercise. Drivers were recruited, interviewed and selected. Materials like cartridges, registration forms and writing materials were acquired. Individuals were recruited, trained and selected as Mobile Registration Workstation Operators.

The National Identification Authority's Head Office was built and 97% of the building completed. A pilot mass registration exercise was held to test the forms and equipment deployed for the exercise as well as the registration process as outlined by the Authority. This pilot registration exercise took place in two communities — Abokobi and Sege — in the Greater Accra Region, for 10 days from July 27 to August 4, 2007. The testing selection and training of staff for the Central and Western regions were executed successfully, with mass registration taking off in the Central Region on July 1, 2008. By the end of July 2008, Prof. Kenneth Attafuah was appointed as the Executive Secretary and oversaw the execution of mass registration in the Western, Eastern and Volta Regions between August 2008 and July 2009.

On July 22, 2009, Dr. William Ahadzie began his appointment as the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA).