Ghana Card checks and XDS reports for credit decisions
Ghana’s credit bureaus hold files under different identifiers, including older ones that remain in use even as the Ghana Card becomes the sole identification document for financial transactions at Bank of Ghana-regulated financial institutions. The applicant’s face is matched against the NIA record, but a search finds what was filed under the ID supplied. XDS held back scores in 2023 for want of one identifier, and the trace report and credit report answer different questions, so you have to decide which checks should come first.
Verify the Ghana Card against the NIA record
Begin with identity. Since 1 December 2025, the Ghana Card has been the sole identification document for financial transactions at Bank of Ghana-regulated financial institutions. Customers must be biometrically verified. The National Identification Authority (NIA) record can be checked by face or fingerprint.
For remote onboarding, include a liveness check. The identity result answers whether the presented Ghana Card matches the NIA record. It gives you a starting point for the bureau checks, not a conclusion about the applicant’s credit history.
For example, if the face or fingerprint matches and the remote liveness check passes, record identity as verified and continue to the bureau searches. If the match fails, follow your failed-match procedure and keep that outcome separate from a bureau no-hit. Older bureau records may sit under other identifiers. XDS said Ghana Cards represented 35% of unique active loan customers in its data at the end of 2023.
Choose an XDS report for the information needed
Use the XDS trace report for identity and contact history, and the credit report for facilities and repayment behaviour. The Consumer Basic Trace Report contains personal details, a credit account summary, address history, guarantor details and telephone history. The Consumer Basic Credit Report contains personal information, a credit account summary, facility status and monthly payment behaviour. The Detailed Credit Profile Report also gives the performing or non-performing status of the borrower’s facilities.
A search can return demographic information alone, or demographic and financial information together. A report that returns personal details but no facilities or payment behaviour should be recorded as demographic information, then followed by further checks for credit history. Do not record the applicant as having no history on that result alone.
Check other bureaus when credit history is missing
A no-hit on one bureau leaves two possibilities open: the applicant may have no recorded credit history, or the file may be under another identifier or absent from that bureau. The Bank of Ghana requires providers to submit data to all credit bureaus at the same time. Its 2025 report also records late or missing submissions to some bureaus.
The reporting system includes telecommunications companies, utilities, retailers, mobile money operators, fintechs and other designated providers. Examples among designated providers include SSNIT, property firms, shopping malls and agricultural businesses. The Bank of Ghana plans a Data Hub for 2026 to standardise submissions.
Suppose one bureau returns demographic details and another returns a facility with payment behaviour. Compare the records using the identifiers and facility details returned, then resolve any duplicate or conflicting entries before using them in the decision. I check more than one bureau when the first result is empty or partial. I do so because older files may sit under other IDs, and submissions can reach some bureaus late or not at all.
Use digital address differences to prompt review
GhanaPostGPS is Ghana’s digital addressing system. Its code identifies a location within a five-metre square.
When an applicant gives a GhanaPostGPS address, compare it with the address history in the trace report. A difference between the areas shown in the application and trace history calls for clarification from the applicant and a record of how it was resolved. Route an unresolved discrepancy for review under your KYC policy, rather than treating the address difference by itself as evidence of repayment risk.
Set rules for alternative data
Alternative data reaches bureau files through a range of providers, and its availability differs between bureaus. Different bureaus return different evidence. Check what the report actually contains before using it in the credit decision.
Treat missing data as unavailable evidence, rather than as a negative result. Keep phone contacts out of these checks. The DCSP Directive prohibits contacting a customer’s contacts.
Define what happens when a source call fails
Keep the NIA, bureau and address checks as separate calls because each answers a different question. Decisimo lets you specify REST API or SOAP web service data sources and define how your decision flow responds when a call fails, including routing to a fallback branch.
For example, if a bureau call fails, route the application to a branch that records the source error and leaves the bureau result unresolved. Continue with the checks your policy permits, then route the application for follow-up or review rather than treating the failed call as a no-hit.
Order Ghana identity and credit checks
When the Ghana Card is verified but a bureau search returns no credit history, keep the identity result separate from the credit result. Set up and run the checks in this order:
- Verify the Ghana Card against the NIA record by face or fingerprint. Add a liveness check for remote onboarding, then record the match result.
- Pull the trace report for address, phone and guarantor history. Compare the returned details with the application and record how you resolve any discrepancy.
- Pull the credit report for facilities and payment behaviour. If it returns demographic information alone, record that the search found identity information and continue checking for credit history.
- If a bureau returns no or partial history, try other bureaus. Compare the returned records and resolve duplicates or conflicts before using them in the decision.
- For an applicant with a GhanaPostGPS address, compare it with the trace report’s address history. Route an unresolved difference for review under your KYC policy.
- Use alternative data returned by the bureaus. Apply only the measures defined in your credit policy, and do not use phone contacts.
- Keep each source check as a separate call in a decision engine you own, with a defined branch for a failed call.
Questions about Ghana Card and credit checks
Is the Ghana Card the only ID a lender can accept?
Yes, for financial transactions at Bank of Ghana-regulated financial institutions. The notice making it the sole identification document for those transactions took effect on 1 December 2025.
Do I need a liveness check for remote onboarding in Ghana?
Yes. The Bank of Ghana notice requires regulated financial institutions to undertake liveness checks for remote onboarding.
What is the XDS trace report?
It is a report designed to support KYC. It contains personal details, a credit account summary, address history, guarantor details and telephone history. Compare the returned address information with the application.
Does XDS give credit scores?
In December 2023, XDS said it had not produced individual scores for want of a unique identifier. In August 2025, the Bank of Ghana approved bureaus to begin credit scoring, as reported.
Do I have to collect a GhanaPostGPS address?
No Bank of Ghana rule asks a lender to collect a digital address. If the applicant has one, you can compare it with the address history in the trace report.
What alternative data do Ghana’s credit bureaus hold?
Reporting includes data from telecommunications companies, utilities, retailers, mobile money operators, fintechs and other designated providers. Examples among designated providers include pension, property, retail and agricultural organisations. Availability can differ between bureaus.
