CUTS Ghana, a research and advocacy policy think tank is calling on the Electoral Commission (EC) to reconsider its decision to compile a fresh register independently from the National Identification Authority (NIA) database.
Addressing the media, the country director for CUTS Ghana, Mr. Appiah Kusi Adomako said: “whilst the constitutional and statutory mandate for compiling electoral register in the country is the exclusive preserve of the EC, the Commission must be reasonable and practical in the light of what can be gleaned from the NIA database.”
Though the NIA work is still ongoing, it is estimated to be completed by March 2020.
“The good thing about the Ghana Card is that it captures lots of information including digital addresses which the EC and it’s IT Department can extract every information needed and do an exhibition for people who want to change their polling station to do so.”
“In 2012, it cost the nation an amount of GH¢148,942,378 for compiling the biometric voter registration. Fast forwarding to 2020, considering the rise in voter population and adjusting the 2012 cost to inflation and depreciation of the cedi, conservative estimate can put the proposed 2020 register at GHC 350 million Ghana cedis,” he added.
He said it is worrying the EC is rushing to compile a register for the 2020 election ahead of the completion of the Ghana Card project, which is costing the country millions of cedis.
The NIA had earlier taken delivery of 62 vehicles, 60 motorbikes and two generator sets to facilitate the nationwide registration and issuance of the National Identification Cards.
Mr. Adomako added that the NIA was established to “to solve the burden of having multiple agencies and departments issue ID cards and to build a functional national identity database.”
In the past, there were botched attempts to create the national database and issue ID cards which led to the haemorrhage of hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars.
However, in September 2017, President Nana Addo launched the commencement and issuance of a National Identification Card popularly called the ‘Ghana Card’.
Ghana Card Project is expected to cost taxpayers about $1.2 billion in the long run.
CUTS Ghana is worried why a nation with limited resources should be wasting taxpayers’ money in such ventures.
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By: citinewsroom.com | Ghana
