The Minister of State for Public Sector Reforms, Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, has announced plans to reform retirement age policies to combat age fraud in the public sector.
According to her, one of the persistent issues undermining efficiency in the service is the difficulty in verifying the true ages of public servants, especially at the point of retirement.
She emphasized that a key step to solving this challenge is the introduction of a unique identification number assigned to every individual at birth.
This number, she stated, would be used to track a person from birth through their educational journey, into the workforce, and ultimately up to retirement.
She noted that the system would significantly improve policy formulation and planning, allowing government institutions to forecast with precision how many individuals are entering or exiting the workforce each year.
This, according to her, would eliminate the frequent reliance on censuses and guesswork in determining human resource needs within the public service.
She explained that linking this unique ID with databases like those at the Passport Office and the Births and Deaths Registry would streamline access to essential services.
For instance, individuals would be able to use their birth ID to apply for passports or birth certificates with ease, ensuring consistency and accuracy in official records.
The Minister stated that this initiative would not be implemented in isolation.
She announced plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Gender, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Local Government to develop a comprehensive, inter-ministerial policy framework that supports the effective rollout and sustainability of the ID system.
She reiterated that this reform forms part of a broader agenda to modernize the public sector, ensure accountability, and support Ghana’s long-term development goals through reliable and data-driven governance.
