The government is leveraging digitalization to shape national
discourse and promote behavioral change based on moral
principles, Vice President Bawumia has stated.
Outlining the positive effects achieved by the ongoing infusion ofdigitalization in daily national life, Dr Bawumia said Government
has taken a deliberate decision to reduce the human interface,
which is usually the arena for corruption, in order to reduce its
incidence and cultivate a new approach to national life.
Dr Bawumia extolled the virtues of digitalization in the fight
against corruption and moral decadence when he addressed
guests at the National Development Conference 2023, organized
by the Church of Pentecost, on Wednesday July 26th, 2023.
The Conference held under the theme 'Moral Vision and
National Development' was attended by all major stakeholders
in Ghana’s development including Former Presidents JA Kufuor
and John Mahama; Speaker of Parliament Rt Hon Alban S.K.
Bagbin; the Chief Justice,, Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkonoo,
National Executives of political parties, leaders of Religious
bodies, civil society organizations and governance experts.
"The behavior of the people determines the transformation of a
nation. This is why, as a government, we have focused on putting
in-place systems that will reduce the role of the human factor
and enhance transparency through the digitalization of the
economy. We have put in place systems that will encourage or
compel morally upright behavior. Through digitalization, we are compelling behavior that is
morally upright he continued, noting that by reducing the
human interface, state institutions, and their clients have no
choice but to do the right things and pay the right fees because
computers don’t understand bribes.
Dr. Bawumia cited the major impacts digitalization has had on efficiency and revenue generation in some key government institutions. The DVLA is now a world-class institution, without the need for Goro boys. Now you can apply for a passport online and have it delivered to your house without having to pay a bribe. The port
is now paperless and clearing your goods has become much
easier.
Digitalization has also had a major impact on revenue
generation. Take the Electricity Company of Ghana for instance.
Before digitalization, the company was collecting an average of
Ghs450 million a month. We noticed that for some years, this
figure had not changed, despite an increase in customers.
Something clearly was not right. So we introduced digitalization
into their processes and made all payments cashless. Despite
initial resistance, the system is working smoothly. And
interestingly, the monthly revenue has shot up from Ghs450m a
month to Ghs1.2 billion a month," he disclosed. Before digitalization, the Passport Office was generating an
average of Ghs1m a year. After we digitalized the process,
including making payments cashless, the Office now generates
over Ghs60m a year.
It is, therefore, evident that with the infusion of digitalization, we
are creating an environment, a system where corruption cannot
thrive due to the reduction and elimination of the human
interface", he noted.
Dr Bawumia emphasized Government’s determination to bring
relief to the Ghanaian people and return the economy to high
rates of growth that characterized the management of our
economy in the three years preceeding the Covid outbreak in
2020.
"Among others, we will continue with our programmes for the
expansion and modernization of our educational system to
create a 21st century workforce; the systematic reform of our
healthcare delivery system to ensure a resilient, robust
healthcare delivery system; the conclusion of the digitalization
process to obtain the full benefits of the 4th Industrial
Revolution."
Alluding to the theme for the Conference, Vice President
Bawumia pledged that Government would work assiduously for
the "establishment of a free and just society, where
entrepreneurship and individual initiative are the sources of
wealth creation with a strong social safety net for the
marginalized and disadvantaged; and the improvement of the
governance architecture to deepen accountability and respect
for the rule of law in our body politic."
While praising the religious community for their strong
collaboration with Government for national development, Dr
Bawumia singled out the Church of Pentecost for high praise.
"If there is one Church which has, over the years, and,
particularly, in recent times, risen to its duties of being a
steadfast partner with Government in the development of the
nation, I dare say it is the Church of Pentecost.
"Indeed the contribution of the Church of Pentecost to
education, healthcare, social welfare and the financial
development of Ghana continues to merit the unalloyed
gratitude of the Ghanaian people," he emphasized.
