Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has
said that in spite of major strides Ghana has made in its globally-acclaimed
digitalisation drive, there are still some Ghanaians who refuse to accept
Ghana’s success.
Speaking at the launch of the Ghana Electronic
Pharmacy Platform (ePharmacy) in Accra on Monday, July 18, Dr. Bawumia said
government’s interest in digitalization stems from the fact that the 4th
Industrial Revolution is a digital revolution, which is indispensable in the
economic transformation of a developing economy.
The Vice President, who listed a number of
digital innovations the government has initiated and the impacts they are
having in easing access to government services and impacting government
revenue, said each of these innovations was met with pessimism by people “with
the minds of impossibilities”.
“There are many, who refuse to understand the
importance of digitalization to our economic transformation. Therefore, they
will mock any new innovation,” Dr. Bawumia said.
He listed a number of digital innovations,
which some people doubted and said it was not possible to achieve, or doubt
Ghana’s ability to achieve such a technological milestone.
“They mocked the digital address system, they
mocked the mobile money
interoperability because they did not understand when we said
that when we bring mobile money interoperability, every adult
Ghanaian would be able to have a bank account. Today, with mobile money interoperability, 90% of adult
Ghanaians have at least either a mobile money account or a bank account and the
two are interoperable, they are basically working like the same, so we have
achieved that objective.
“They do not realise that through the Ghana
Card, we have been able to increase the proportion of Ghanaians with Tax
Identification Numbers from 4% when we cane into office to 85% to.
“People did not understand why the Ghana Card,
certified by ICAO, could be used as a travel document and they mocked the idea.
Today, it is a reality and our diasporans can use the Ghana Card and travel to
Ghana without a visa.
“People did not believe when we launched Ghana
Pay, to make Ghana the first country in the world to have a bank-wide mobile
money wallet. Usually it is the telcos who issue mobile money wallet.
“People could not understand how Zipline
medical drone service could be used to deliver medical supplies to save lives.
They tried to convince people that drones were to be used for taking pictures
of women in bathrooms. Today, as we speak, Ghana has the largest drone delivery
service in the world.”
Dr. Bawumia stressed that government’s zeal
towards implementing its transformative digital technology continues to face
pessimism from people who refuse to believe an African country like Ghana is
not capable of leading implementation of digital innovation.
“Unfortunately, for people of governments that
try to lead our country to a new level, they are confronted with a mindset that
only sees impossibilities; a mindset that refuses to believe that an African
country like Ghana can lead the world in implementing digital technology.
“This is why I enjoy proving the skeptics
wrong all the time. Usually when I say we are going to do this, they say he is
lying. And when it comes, they keep quiet.
“Ultimately, we must all remember that you
cannot transform an economy with just brick and mortar. You can only transform
an economy with ideas, systems and institutions. Not just brick and mortar.”
Source: 3news.com|Ghana