February 16, 2020//-One of the few Ghanaian Information Technology (IT) Experts based in Ireland, Amofa Baffoe has made certain key observations and concluded firmly that, the Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia must be proscribed from contributing in debates that boarders on IT and other related issues.
Mr Baffoe decried the embarrassment Ghanaians in the Diaspora have to suffer as a result of Bawumia’s ill informed presentation on IT associated matters.
The Ireland based IT Specialist identified the National Identification Exercise as one of Ghana’s IT projects bedeviled with misconceptions and therefore an avoidable liability on the state economy.
According to him it was too amateurish to have three different National Identification numbers embossed on the National ID Card because of the non existent of a National Database.
In view of its significance to national development, Tax Identification Numbers(TIN) must be extended beyond businessmen to cover all Ghanaians. “Ideally, Ghana needs a strong Database before proceeding to build a National Identification Scheme” he noted.
It is only when residents in Ghana are identified by a common denominator like the TIN that we can be sure of a national backbone that can be leveraged across government departments such as Registrar General, Electoral Commission, National Identification Authority, Controller and Accountants General, the Universities, Hospitals etc that government can access all the information of an individual, irrespective of which department he/her finds himself
Stressing on his assertion, he said “these identifiable technological gaps are the reasons why the Electoral Commission must hasten slowly until a comprehensive National IT Plan is developed”
Following these arguments, Mr. Amofa reiterated his resentment against the act of groping and wished that Dr. Bawumia is completely stopped from making pronouncements in an unfamiliar terrain like “National IT Policy”.
