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It is a great honor and a pleasure to be here today.
On behalf of the Ghana Electoral Commission, I wish you all a warm welcome, especially to those who are visiting Ghana for the first time. I would also like to thank the Right Honorable Professor Mike Oquaye, Speaker of our Parliament. Thank you for taking the time to come here this morning. It is not often that you bring together such a reservoir of knowledge and know-how in one room and I am thankful to God for making this possible. I thank our co-hosts, the International Center for Parliamentary Studies, for choosing Ghana as the destination of the 17th International Symposium on Electoral Matters. We do not doubt that our guests will appreciate the warm hospitality of the Ghanaian people and the delicious Ghanaian cuisine.
Today's meeting offers my two Vice-Presidents and myself the opportunity to meet, interact and learn from the leaders of more than 30 election management organizations (EMBs) gathered at this place. As most of you may know, we were all appointed to manage the affairs and operations of the Ghana Electoral Commission just five months ago. Indeed, all the ideas that we had envisaged to settle slowly yielded to the reality on the ground and we found ourselves on the ground. I am sure that if we had sought advice from one of you before our swearing in, you would have clearly explained the complexity of the office. So maybe it's a good thing we did not refuse, because we may have declined our appeal.
So, five months later, we are – alive and in great shape – our journey has been loaded and insightful. We have already had the experience of holding a referendum – Just a month ago, we held a referendum to decide whether or not to create six additional regions. The elections, which were largely successful, saw the majority of Ghanaians vote for the creation of six new regions. We are currently developing our activities and structures in these new areas.
Still at the institutional level, we are reflecting on lessons learned from the recent referendum as we prepare for the district and other referendum elections in the last quarter of this year. We believe that the challenges, opportunities, experiences and lessons learned from these elections and referendums will adequately prepare us for our December 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Distinguished guests, I am aware that the order I have just described is not new to you. For EMB officials gathered here, I'm sure you'll tell us, "This is the name of the game, keep going." And indeed, we are moving forward and we look forward to sharing with you and learning from your experiences at our side meetings in the coming days.
I would like to take a minute to discuss the importance of an electoral system. Ladies and gentlemen, it is needless to say that the electoral process is the cornerstone of democracy. Indeed, it is the midwife who creates a democracy. It gives legitimacy to our leaders and our democratic institutions and must not only be maintained but, above all, strengthened. We are fortunate to have institutions such as the International Center for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS), which continue to provide a platform on which these processes are strengthened and maintained.
It is of utmost importance that we continue to strengthen EMBs to ensure that citizens respect the processes that elect their leaders as free, credible and transparent. It is essential that political parties participate freely in the electoral process and that the right of citizens to express their preferences is protected and guaranteed. We, the Ghana Electoral Commission, are committed to these ideals. Only recently have we restored the founding principles of the Electoral Commission – transparency, fairness and integrity – and we are committed to respecting them.
Thus, while the Ghana Electoral Commission has made significant progress in improving its systems and processes over the past two decades, much remains to be done. For example, more work is needed to meet the high costs of our elections and the challenge of institutional capacity building. These are some of the topics we will discuss at the conference this week and we look forward to learning from our counterparts.
For us, at the Ghana Electoral Commission, we want to know more about the progress made in the field of technology, having used the same biometric registration and voting systems over the past ten years. How can we skip steps and start using new technologies in our electoral process? What new biometric systems are the most effective and reliable? Since taking office, we have been concerned about the high costs of purchasing computer equipment, including biometric recording and verification devices used in the electoral process. Therefore, comments and information on efficient systems and equipment that offer value for money will be useful at this meeting.
I hope the high cost of elections is another key issue that will be addressed here. Our elections are becoming a very expensive undertaking and we have to constantly rely on development partners to fund this, compromising our independence. In 2016, for example, the cost of elections in Ghana was $ 12.03 per elector, compared to $ 9.33 per voter in Nigeria (2015) and $ 5 per elector in Tanzania (2015). How can EMBs streamline their processes to reduce costs? What means and skills exist to help EMBs audit their processes while maintaining the efficiency and integrity of their systems?
Another important topic we will discuss is institutional capacity building. A major challenge we have observed is that of the suppliers' support of the biometric database of EMBs. This trend is worrying, especially in developing countries that are striving to become more independent. How can EMBs build the capacity of their staff, particularly in the ICT field, to ensure that their day-to-day administrative processes, as well as the maintenance and management of their database, are not diverted by providers?
We will also discuss the issue of security around our electoral processes. We will consider how we can enhance the security of the registration process for voting day activities, including the declaration of results. In the era of social media and fake news, what security systems can we put in place to counteract the activities of mischief makers and alarmists? Are security seals, ballot boxes and custom screens, uniformed field personnel, on-site police and voting agents sufficient to ensure the vote and the integrity of the process?
Again, how can we ensure that our structures and staff operate in a transparent and accountable manner to key stakeholders? How should EMBs engage with their stakeholders to promote trust? How can we, as autonomous bodies, remain responsible for our actions and the use of public funds?
The question of ensuring that every vote counts will be discussed at our meeting. What measures should be taken to protect and protect each vote? What new educational tools are in place to train people to vote properly?
To date, we still have a high number of ballots canceled after each election. In the 2008 presidential elections, for example, the number of ballot papers rejected as a result of a bad impression of the thumb was the third highest percentage behind the two largest political parties (2.37%). The percentage of rejected ballots has decreased to 2.24 in 2012 and 1.54% in 2016. Despite the steady decline of recent years, we are still willing to learn about new approaches. in the field of voter education. As BGE, I am sure we want to see a reduction in the number because, after all, we are often blamed for this phenomenon.
For our part, our Commissioners and staff are here to share valuable insights on progress in the areas of election officer training, the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. , and the facilitation of an equal voting right for people with disabilities and special needs. . We have developed systems to ensure that the visually impaired and people with reduced mobility have the right to vote and we will be happy to share this experience. We would also like to share with you some of the programs we have developed to empower and encourage women to lead. In addition, following our 2012 election petition, we have developed strong training programs to build the capacity of election officials. This has promoted a high level of efficiency and professionalism at all levels and we will be happy to provide you with our tools and training manuals.
Ladies and gentlemen, before I take my place, let me echo the words of Abraham Lincoln.
"The elections belong to the people. It's their decision. It is our job to make sure that remains their decision. "
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you again this symposium.
I thank you all for your attention.
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