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Technology is the solution to Illiteracy – Mr. Kofi Bentil

Written by Danquah Institute Monday, 08 February 2010 19:13

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He said there has been a constant argument that the illiteracy rates in Ghana are high and the introduction of technology into certain areas of public life, like the introduction of technology into our voting system, will not be feasible.


Mr. Kofi Bentil of IMANI Ghana has stated that the solution to illiteracy in Ghana is the introduction of technology into all spheres of the Ghanaian life.

 

He made this statement at a conference being organised by the Danquah Institute on biometric voter registration and electronic voting in Ghana.

The first day of the two days conference was devoted to interrogating the advantages and challenges of introducing biometric voter registration and the second day devoted to e-voting in Ghana.

He said there has been a constant argument that the illiteracy rates in Ghana are high and the introduction of technology into certain areas of public life, like the introduction of technology into our voting system, will not be feasible.

He countered this assertion by citing the example of filling a form online. Once an incorrect entry is made, that entry will not be accepted and will prompt you to make a correction.

With this background, he further went on to advocate for the introduction of a National Biometric card for all purposes.

He added that an average person above 18 requires about five different cards namely the biometric passport, national I.D card, driver’s license, the national health insurance card and the voters I.D Card.

This he said signalled a looming confusion and can be solved by the introduction of one card which would be more secure and more accurate than all these together.

All these systems/organizations are related and thus need the same information and hence must work together in data acquisition and management.

If this is not done, they will eventually cost more, achieve less and diminish the effectiveness of their own work.

He therefore proposed a national data centre where collation, processing, verification and updating will be possible. This centre will make it possible to process data and make it ready for various agencies like the EC, NHIA, SSNIT etc to access at any time.

He suggested the Ghana Statistical Service be the mandated agency to collect all the information and share it, leading to a system which issues every citizen with a one machine-readable, multipurpose National Biometric Card.

The National Biometric Card can be used for purposes such as voting, where cards are swiped and fingerprints checked just like checking voter IDs.

The current problem of Ghana having a multiplicity of cards, he said, was caused by a system which employs various agencies seeking the same basic information from Ghanaians.

Even if Ghana decides not to implement a single National Biometric card now, it will eventually be done at a later stage which would mean wasted resources over the years.

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Cast Your Vote

Is the introduction of Electronic technology into Ghana's electoral system the right way to go?

E-Voting Presentations

Communique
by Danquah Institute

Prospects of E-Voting in Ghana
by Alhaji Mohammed Salisu Baba

E-Voting: The Indian Model
by Gabby Otchere Darko

Ghana's Challenges
by Fifi Donkor

Mass Registration & its Implications
by Dr William Ahadzie, NIA

National Registration & ID Systems
by Kofi Bentil, IMANI

The Key to a Credible Voter Register
by Fabien Rouad, Sagem

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Danquah Institute's Opinion

Report on Conference

"The annual Danquah Institute Governance and Development Dialogue Series was held at the Alisa Hotel, North Ridge, Accra, Ghana, from the 8-9 February 2010. This year’s series was themed: ‘National Conference on Biometric Voter Registration and Electronic Voting’. Invitations were extended to all political parties. Participants included the General Secretary and Youth Organiser of the Convention People’s Party, the National Chairman and General Secretary of the People’s National Convention and the National Chairman and Director of Research of the New Patriotic Party. more >>>

Experience of E-Voting Overseas

"The use of electronic voting worldwide remains a relatively uncommon practice, although this is rapidly changing as countries experiment with various electronic methods or expand their existing use of electronic voting. Furthermore, electronic voting is not limited to Europe or North America, as countries such as Brazil and India have embraced electronic voting far more completely than Europe, the United States, or Canada. more >>>

Ghana: Let the Good News Roll

"The transition to a new government under the NDC sig- nificantly diluted the policy environment during much of H1:09. Despite the slow start, the NDC government has been prepared to grapple with the thorny issue of fiscal overspending and has introduced meaningful austerity measures, including removing a number of subsidies despite their popular appeal. more >>>

Viability Of Electronic Voting

"The fundamental question to be addressed before 2012 is how do we protect the integrity of the elections from the point of voter registration to the moment of winner certification?.

Linked to this is the question, what are the factors that influence public confidence in elections.more >>>

2010 Budget Highlights

"Among the many challenges faced by the new Government when they took office in January 2009 were the effects of a global recession on the country, a period of unusually high food prices, pressure on the Ghana Cedi and a significant budget deficit.

It was therefore not surprising that 2009 was dedicated to taking control of the Government machinery, appraising the available resources, obligations and commitments and stabilising the economy.more >>>

VAT To Rise

"The Danquah Institute (DI) has called on the Government of the Republic of Ghana to come clean and warn Ghanaians beforehand how much it intends to raise VAT and electricity prices in line with Government’s policy to strengthen the fiscal state of the national economy.

With the end of September less than a week away, DI is also asking for the President Mills administration to let Ghanaians know how far it has gone in fulfilling the conditionalities set out in its June agreement with the World Bank, covering a $300 million credit facility.more >>>

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