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Ransford Nana Addo Junior, a certified fraud examiner and professional investigator, has called for the Ghana Card to be fully integrated into Ghana’s payment systems to reduce financial fraud. According to him, simply showing the card as proof of identity is no longer enough to tackle rising financial fraud.

He warned that if Ghana does not move beyond the practice of using the Ghana Card only as a visual form of identification, the country could face an even worse fraud situation. The fraud investigator pointed out that the real value of the Ghana Card lies in its ability to support proper identity verification, especially through biometric checks.

Ransford said one of the major weaknesses in Ghana’s fraud prevention system is that many institutions still rely on the Ghana Card mainly as a document that is shown physically, rather than using its full verification features. He said that merely checking the face on the card does not provide enough protection in an era where fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated.

And people are holding the Ghana Card, just showing the face on it. But anybody can put anybody’s picture on it and say, ‘Oh, he showed the Ghana Card,’” he said. For him, the real value of the Ghana Card lies in its ability to support proper identity verification, especially through biometric checks.

He pointed to the banking sector as an example of where the card has already started to strengthen security when used properly. “So, in environments like the banks, where the Ghana Card has become a compulsory authentication, if you come and you want to withdraw money, we need to do the biometrics, put your fingers on the system and verify that the card that we have, the picture on it, this is the human being,” he explained.

He said that biometric authentication remains the most reliable way to verify someone's identity. “There are three forms of validations or authentications. Best among them is biometric,” he said. Ransford believes Ghana has not yet made full use of the Ghana Card system, despite its potential to help deal with fraud across the financial sector.

So what does this mean for Ghana’s financial sector? According to Ransford, if the Ghana Card is fully embedded into account opening, wallet registration and transaction verification processes, it will make the payment ecosystem, especially mobile money and other digital payment channels, far safer. He said that stolen funds do not simply disappear, they are usually transferred into another account or mobile wallet.

Ransford said the answer lies in tightening SIM registration, linking it properly to the Ghana Card, and making biometric verification compulsory throughout Ghana’s payment ecosystem. “It means that we need to tackle our SIM registration, sync it with our Ghana Card and make biometric authentication compulsory at every stage of our payment services,” he said.

And what does this mean for Ghanaians? According to Ransford, if SIM registration is properly linked to the Ghana Card and biometric authentication is used, it will reduce impersonation and fake SIM registration, making it more difficult for fraudsters to operate. He believes Ghana can prevent more cases of impersonation and financial fraud if the Ghana Card is used effectively to verify identities.

But isn’t the Ghana Card already playing a role in reducing impersonation? Ransford said that yes, impersonation appears to be reducing in some areas and believes the Ghana Card is already playing a role in that progress. “If you look at the report very well, there’s something unique a lot of people have not paid attention to. Impersonation is dropping. The Ghana Card factor has come to play,” he said.

### Key Facts

  • 24,778 reported fraud cases across banks, specialised deposit-taking institutions (SDIs) and payment service providers (PSPs) in 2025
  • Total value at risk rose from GH¢82 million to GH¢101 million between 2022 and 2025
  • Ghana Card has been used in the banking sector to strengthen security when used properly
  • Biometric authentication remains the most reliable way to verify someone's identity
  • Stolen funds are usually transferred into another account or mobile wallet
  • Tightening SIM registration, linking it properly to the Ghana Card, and making biometric verification compulsory throughout Ghana’s payment ecosystem can prevent more cases of impersonation and financial fraud

More on Ransford Nana Addo Junior

Ransford Nana Addo Junior is a certified fraud examiner and professional investigator with years of experience. He has been involved in several cases of financial fraud and has a deep understanding of the Ghanaian financial sector.

Context: Ghana's Financial Sector

Ghana's financial sector has been growing rapidly in recent years, with the rise of mobile money and digital payment channels. However, this growth has also brought with it an increase in financial fraud, particularly impersonation and fake SIM registration. Ghanaian authorities have been trying to find ways to reduce financial fraud in the sector, and the use of the Ghana Card is seen as a potential solution.

What's Next?

Ransford's call for the Ghana Card to be used more effectively in the financial sector may not be a new idea, but it is one that has significant implications for Ghanaians who rely on mobile money and digital payment channels. With the number of reported fraud cases increasing steadily, the Ghanaian government may need to take a more proactive approach to reducing financial fraud in the sector.

Image Suggestions

  • A Ghana Card being used to withdraw money from an ATM
  • A screen showing biometric authentication on a mobile device
  • A graph showing the increase in reported fraud cases between 2022 and 2025
  • A photo of Ransford Nana Addo Junior speaking on a radio program