Digitalization tackling corruption – Dr Bawumia

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has said the government’s digitalization agenda is tackling corruption in institutions.

Speaking at the 20th Ghana Club 100 Awards in Accra last Friday, the NPP flagbearer for the 2024 elections said areas like passport acquisition and port clearance has reduced human intervention through the Ghana Card identity system.

Private sector

Dr. Bawumia also recognized the crucial role of the private sector in economic development and reiterated the government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Reflecting on the challenges posed by an informal economy characterized by indisciplined practices, Dr Bawumia highlighted the various issues, including corruption, lawlessness, tax evasion, and identity fraud.

Overcoming challenges

To counter these challenges and unlock the economy’s potential, Dr Bawumia said the government embarked on a comprehensive formalization process, heavily relying on digitalization.
“You look at an economy in the informal sense which turned to be undisciplined, the society is undisciplined because the economy is informal and there are no consequences for bad actions.”
He added: “These ills of the informal economy that we really inherited made it very difficult for the economy to transform to its potential. That is why we set out to formalize the economy to make sure that the economy works in a transparent system.
“This is why we have been moving steadily and we have made a lot of progress in this particular area. Today, we have enrolled over 17million people on the Ghana Card, today we have linked all bank accounts to the Ghana Card, and linked all SIM cards to the Ghana Card, TIN is your Ghana Card number, NHIS number is your Ghana Card number, today we have linked the Ghana Card to the Controller and Accountant General Department payroll. Today we are increasing this formalization of the economy as a result of digitalisation, we are digitalizing all government services through Ghana.gov.gh and so on.”