He said it was an "important exercise" to help streamline identification and verification towards effective business transactions in the country and, thus, needed the support of traditional rulers.

Togbe Afede, who was addressing members of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs during a general meeting in Ho, said the Ghana Card, which would soon become a prerequisite for major transactions, had long been anticipated, and charged chiefs and opinion leaders to encourage their people to "take it seriously".

Sensitise the citizenry

Togbe Afede also urged local authorities to sensitise the citizenry to the need to prepare their birth certificates and other required documents to enable them to register.

Togbe Afede commended the Volta Regional House of Chiefs for a positive balance sheet and promised to engage stakeholders on the prompt payment of allocated funds.

The Otekple of Likpe and President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Alloh Soglo IV, appealed to traditional authorities to ensure that births and deaths within their jurisdiction were registered.

He said the age-old custom that prevented chiefs from being registered at birth or death was outdated and only made it difficult to validate claims of succession.