Ghana uses technology to solve local problems – Dr. Bawumia | General news



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Ghana is showing the way forward using technological innovation to address local governance issues on the continent, said Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.

Mr Bawumia said that during the past two years, the Akufo-Addo administration had "deployed" a large number of digitization initiatives to facilitate access to government services and to improve the supply.

"Technological innovation is helping us find better ways to solve local governance issues," said Dr. Bawumia at the Emerging Markets Summit on "Digital Governance in Emerging Markets" at Booth Business School. the University of Chicago in the United States. America on Saturday, April 13, 2019.

He said that in order to carry out the program "Beyond Ghana's Aid", the ruling government of the new patriotic party is consciously trying to "formalize the economy by taking advantage of the 39, technological innovation and digitization ".

"With digitization, we are introducing new, more efficient ways of working. We are changing the way things are done in affected institutions for the benefit of ordinary Ghanaians, "said Dr. Bawumia.

Describing some of the reforms undertaken in the process of digitization and formalization over the past two years, Bawumia said: "The introduction of national identity cards (with fingerprints, iris and photo) changes the give and should be finished in another year. Everyone will have a unique identifier (like the social security number) from birth to death. It will form the basis of an integrated national database system (driver's license, pbadport, health, police, voting).

"We have relied on technology to introduce a digital address system. Every 5 mx 5 square meters of land or water in Ghana has a unique numeric address. The mobile application (GhanaPostGPS) is available on Google Playstore or iTunes. Can find any place in Ghana. The United Kingdom, for example, took 15 years to deploy the zip code system. Thanks to technology, we did it in one year more accurately. "

To meet the challenge of financial inclusion, Vice President Bawumia said that "the interoperability of mobile money payments has been implemented. 34.5 million mobile money accounts, but only 30% of the population that can be banked is banked. We have solved the problem of financial inclusion by making mobile money accounts interoperable with bank accounts (the first country in Africa to do so. a major step towards financial inclusion and progress towards cashless payments for government services. "

With that, Ghana is about to abolish cash payments for government services because all payments would be possible electronically, whether you have a bank account or not.

In addition, Dr. Bawumia mentioned innovative online registration with national health insurance, online tax reporting system, electronic business registration, automation of business license applications. , the automation of the building permit system, the establishment of an electronic justice system. follow the court documents, the paperless port system and the Zipline Medical UAV system that has not yet been deployed.

"The transition to an innovative, knowledge-based economy is necessary if we are to stimulate a path of sustainable development anchored in the richness of our natural resources. To this end, we are investing in the free senior high school to ensure that children from poor households are not denied access to upper secondary, an internship and apprenticeship program for graduates covering 100,000 young Ghanaians beginners and support to young entrepreneurs through a National Center. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, "said the vice president.

Mr Bawumia said the government would continue to play its part in making the environment conducive to the private sector so that it "develops solutions to local problems".

"As a government, we must play a role not only in planning the application of technology to meet the challenges of our development, but also in facilitating and promoting technology efforts at the enterprise level. We believe that a supportive role of the government is necessary for the development of technological capabilities in our quest for industrial sectors, "he concluded.

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