Ghana Card is Just a Name; Ghanaians had ID Cards

The NDC PROFORUM USA by this statement seeks to remind Dr. Mahmoud Bawumia to do thorough research before he engages the media and the general public on national affairs.

Dr. Bawumia yesterday exhibited once again his total ignorance on technology by insinuating that before Ghana card, Ghanaians did not have any form of credible mode of unique identification. This pronouncement from the Vice President clearly shows he is ignorant about the digital transformation he keeps talking about.

Ghanaians have always had one form of identification or the other. It has always been a passport, driver’s license, hospital card, student ID cards, voters ID cards amongst others.

The authenticity of a Ghanaian in any official capacity has been done through one form of ID or the other and therefore the Ghana card cannot be something unique that has never happened in their lives.

If indeed the Ghana card is in a central database that is accessible to EC (and various government agencies), then the details of all qualified voters will be available to EC and there will be no need to compile a new register as has been done traditionally.

All that we need is a digitally efficient system where voters would go online (EC Website or Mobile App) enter their ID Number, and choose their constituency and polling station. This system, as part of its security (2FA), will send an SMS code to the phone number that was linked to the Ghana Card. This system will not cost more than 2Million USD to develop and host. It will not cost anywhere near 80 Million US Dollars. The Ghana Card was an avenue to blow money, and now that the money is spent, EC is being used as an avenue to squander another huge sum of tax payer money.

Dr. Bawumia also said he will choose Ghana Card over a thousand interchanges. This clearly exposes their lack of capacity in tackling the major issues facing the nation. We can do both. Our nation has the ability to build major interchanges and a national ID system with biometric capabilities. His statement was an attempt to make his audience and Ghanaians in general accept the failure of his government to build on the massive infrastructure work of their predecessor. This will however not wash because Ghanaians have seen him and his government for the empty barrels they are!

We need massive physical infrastructure to drive the economy of Ghana. When the roads are not fixed through expansions and flyovers, we cannot transact efficient businesses with our cards when we need to commute from one location to the other.

God bless our homeland Ghana!!

Sign

Arnold Appiah

President