Ghana’s National Information Technology Agency (NITA) has outlined how its proposed Ghana Electronic Document Wallet (GEDW) will work, allowing citizens to securely access digital versions of documents such as the Ghana Card, driver’s licence, tax records, and other official credentials. Rather than storing the documents directly on users’ phones, the wallet will hold encrypted references, while the original records remain with the issuing institutions. Citizens will be able to securely share verified documents with banks, employers, and other organizations through a consent-based process designed to take only seconds.
The platform will rely on Ghana’s existing Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which enables every digital document to be digitally signed, time-stamped, and verified through a trusted chain of certificates. NITA says the system is backed by existing legislation, including the Electronic Transactions Act, Data Protection Act, and Cybersecurity Act, meaning digital records already have legal recognition. The agency will regulate and license the ecosystem, while private companies will develop and operate the wallet applications, encouraging innovation and competition.
The project is currently in its early market engagement phase, with NITA seeking industry feedback on key issues such as which documents should be digitized first, licensing requirements for wallet providers, revenue-sharing models, and how the platform can serve citizens without smartphones or reliable internet access. Standards development, licensing, and pilot deployments are expected to follow before the platform is rolled out nationwide.
Source : www. techlabari.com
