Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Margins ID Group, Moses Kwesi Baiden Jnr., has outlined the indispensable role digital identity will play in realizing a round-the-clock economy and creating jobs for the country’s rapidly growing unemployed population.
“To operate a 24-hour economy, we must be able to confirm who a person is, whether in person or online, with speed, certainty, and security,” he emphasized.
Delivering the keynote address at the 9th Ghana CEOs Summit, he said without such a system, Ghana remains vulnerable to fraud, impersonation, corruption, and lost opportunities—factors that directly undermine efforts to digitize and expand economic activity.
Why identity matters to a 24-Hour Economy
Mr Baiden stated that a 24-hour economy requires seamless and continuous access to public services, business operations, and governance.
According to him, this vision depends on systems that can verify people’s identities securely, instantly, and remotely.
Whether it’s filing taxes at midnight, renewing a driver’s license at dawn, applying for loans, accessing e-healthcare, or conducting cross-border trade, digital identity makes it all possible.
Mr Baiden stressed that digital identity brings the informal into the formal economy saying “It gives every citizen a voice, every business a customer, and every country a chance to leapfrog,” he said.
In other words, he said digital identity is not just about identification—it is about empowerment, economic acceleration, and trust at scale.
He pointed out that Ghana cannot build a modern economy without a modern identity system.
According to him, “Every citizen must have a trusted legal, physical, and digital identity that operates in the physical and digital worlds.”
He argued that in this digital era, identity is not just a card or a number; it is the foundation of trust—the currency of the new economy.
This he said enables real-time verification of individuals, devices, and systems, allowing both government and business operations to move at digital speed.
Enabling the private sector
Mr Baiden argued that for the digital identity system to fully unlock the 24-hour economy, the private sector must be enabled to scale.
“That environment must be merit-based, governance-driven, tax-compliant, transparent, and rooted in predictive performance.”
“This is the kind of system that creates real jobs and sustainable growth,” he said.
Mr Baiden noted that digital identity lowers investment risks by enabling secure digital transactions and access to fintech innovations, such as digital lending.
In turn, he said this drives financial inclusion and builds a safer financial ecosystem for all.
In pointed out that the integration of identity data across ministries and departments also allows for AI-driven analytics, enabling faster and more accurate policymaking and service delivery.
The Margins ID CEO explained that identity-linked data becomes the fuel that drives predictive governance, evidence-based planning, and smart infrastructure development.
The Ghana Card
Mr Baiden argued that at the center of Ghana’s identity revolution is the Ghana Card and the National Identification System (NIS).
Far from being a simple form of ID, he said the Ghana Card is a multi-factor, multi-purpose identity infrastructure that integrates physical, electronic, and digital attributes.
He stated that it works both online and offline, and even in off-grid communities, making it inclusive and far-reaching.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) database now covers over 98% of the adult population—a milestone Mr Baiden described as “deserving of national commendation.”
More impressively, he said the NIA has begun assigning Ghana Card numbers to newborns, linking them to their mothers’ identities and enabling lifelong identity tracking from birth through immunization and beyond.
E-Government and E-Commerce
Mr Baiden underscored the significance of digital identity in driving two of the most powerful levers for national development: e-government and e-commerce.
He noted that E-government ensures that public institutions deliver services transparently and efficiently with minimal human interference, while e-commerce allows businesses to scale operations and reach customers globally.
He cautioned that none of this can happen without a secure, verifiable identity system that meets global standards.
“In this age, data is the new currency. But raw data without identity is noise,” Mr Baiden said.
He emphasised that data must be linked to real people in secure, privacy-respecting ways and when done right, identity-based data empowers governments to plan better, businesses to innovate smarter, and societies to grow inclusively.
Tangible impact
Ghana’s digital identity infrastructure has already started transforming service delivery across sectors.
In the area of revenue collection, the integration of the NIA with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has dramatically boosted tax intake.
GRA revenue grew from GH₵75.71 billion in 2022 to GH₵113.06 billion in 2023, and further to GH₵153.5 billion in 2024—exceeding targets by GH₵7.5 billion.
This has significantly reduced tax evasion and expanded the tax base.
In healthcare, Mr Baiden stated that the Ghana Card’s integration with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) allows for instant verification of patients, reducing fraud and ensuring that services reach the right individuals.
He noted that this is paving the way for a national e-health system that will allow e-prescriptions, digital referrals, and 24-hour access to care.
He said at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), digital identity has eliminated the need for duplicate biometric captures, removed middlemen, and allowed for fully digitized services—accessible remotely and around the clock.
He disclosed that security services have also been upgraded and national security agencies can now run instant checks using integrated watch lists, biometric verification, and global crime databases.
The Margins ID Group CEO stated that this ability enhances border control and protects against emerging threats, including terrorism.
Digital sovereignty as national sovereignty
Margins ID Group has played a central role in building Ghana’s identity infrastructure through its subsidiaries: Intelligent Card Production Systems Ltd (ICPS), responsible for producing the high-security Ghana Card, and Margins ID Systems Applications Ltd, which built and manages the 18 sub-systems powering the National Identity System.
Baiden was unequivocal: “In today’s world, digital sovereignty is national sovereignty.”
By owning the infrastructure, controlling the data, and retaining intellectual property, Ghana is positioning itself as a digital powerhouse.
The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the state and Margins ID Group is hailed internationally as a gold standard and has survived four presidential administrations since 2012.
Building the Future, Now
“We missed the first three industrial revolutions,” Baiden reminded the audience.
“We must not miss the fourth and fifth. This time, we cannot be just consumers; we must be creators,” he added.
He argued that the Fourth Industrial Revolution—driven by AI, big data, IoT, cloud computing, and blockchain—requires a trusted digital identity to function effectively.
According to him, Quantum computing and AI systems that learn and make decisions independently feed on accurate, verified data.
He said without trusted digital identity, their outputs are flawed, but with it, they become the engines of national transformation.
Is the 24-hour economy here to stay?
