News
Ghana will become Africa’s first blockchain-based government
Bawumia made this known at the 14th Regional Conference and Annual General Meeting of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa, in Accra.
Blockchain technology is often described as revolutionary in various industries, including politics on a global scale. This technology can detect and record any alterations in digital data, providing a transparent and traceable record of transactions within governance.
Bawumia believes this progress would promote transparency and allow the government to effectively fight corruption Ghanaweb.
The technology’s automation capabilities could save Ghana and the continent billions of dollars lost due to corruption, poor governance, mismanagement and lack of accountability.
Among other economic challenges, Ghana is currently face a debt crisisdemonstrating the importance of ensuring accountability and preventing the misappropriation of public funds to stabilize the economy.
How digitalisation is changing Ghana
Speaking on the digital initiatives the government has implemented since 2017, Bawumia mentioned the ghana.gov portal, a one-stop platform for electronic payment of public services and enabling the government to raise GH¢201 billion since 2020.
Likewise, the digitalisation of passport acquisition processes has meant that the Passport Office has seen a huge increase in applications, rising from 347,000 to 752,000. Furthermore, revenues increased from GH¢12 million to GH¢94 million between 2018 and 2023.
The integration of public sector databases using the GhanaCard has enabled the Audit and General Accounts Department to remove 29,000 “ghost” pensioners from the public sector payroll, resulting in annual savings of GH¢480 million for the country.
By leveraging a unique identity card, the GhanaCard, the government was able to identify 44,707 ghost names on the National Service Scheme payroll, resulting in savings of GH¢356 million.
He urged anti-corruption agencies across Africa to prioritize investment in digital forensic tools to help track, trace and disrupt the corruption value chain.
The Vice President stressed that Ghana could fight corruption more efficiently if the Central Bank finally introduced the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), otherwise known as e-Cedi.