The Bristol, United Kingdom Chapter of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has commended the Vice President Mahmoud Bawumia for the introduction of the Ghana Card Numbers at Birth initiative. 'It shows a significant step towards establishing a comprehensive national identity system in Ghana,' the Chapter said. A statement signed by Mr Michael Ampaadu, Communication Director, Bristol NPP Chapter and copied to the Ghana News Agency said, a national identification system starting from birth could enhance security and reduce instances of identity fraud. The statement said It could also produce a centralized database of citizens identities, where the government could verify individuals more accurately and prevent misuse of personal information. 'This is crucial in today's digital age where identity theft and cybercrimes pose significant risks to individuals and the state,' the statement said. The Initiative, which assigns a unique identification number to newborns, has several importance for the country, particula rly in the areas of good governance, social services and security which could be compared with the system in developed countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America. 'In developed countries like the UK and USA, national identification systems have long been in place, with unique identification numbers or cards issued to citizens at different stages of their lives.' The statement said implementing a national identification system especially at birth came with its own challenges such as privacy concerns, data protection and administrative complexity and called for a robust safeguard to protect citizens personal information from exploitation and misuse. 'As the country moves forward with the Ghana card number at birth initiative, it is essential to learn from experiences of developed countries and adopt best practices to address potential challenges, ensuring transparency, accountability, and data security which are key to gaining public trust and fostering wider acceptance of the nati onal identification system,' the statement Said. The statement believed that leveraging on the lessons learnt from countries like the UK and the US, the country could harness the full potential of the Ghana Card Numbers at Birth initiative to drive sustainable development, enhance good governance and improve upon Citizens lives. The statement called on Ghanaians to give the Vice-President the chance to implement his own agenda for the country by voting for him in the December polls. Source: Ghana News Agency