Electoral Commission corrects Bright Simons' claims on biometric device spending

Ghanaian

The Electoral Commission (EC) has responded to claims by Mr. Bright Simons, Vice-president in charge of research at IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, regarding the EC's expenditure on Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) in 2020.

In a statement signed by Mr. Fred Tetteh, Deputy Director of Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation, the EC refuted Mr. Simons' claims, stating that they

Read full articlewere based on misinformation.

According to the EC, Mr. Simons and IMANI have persistently published false information, claiming that the EC spent US$150 million on BVDs in 2020.

The EC clarified that prior to this claim, Mr. Simons had quoted US$300 million as the cost of BVDs and Biometric Voters Registration Kits (BVRs) procured by the Commission in 2020. The EC emphasized that these claims are inaccurate and misleading.

The EC's statement highlighted Mr. Simons' recent repetition of these claims on social media, where he commented on old BVDs that the Commission had auctioned in 2022, some of which were found at a recycling plant in Accra.

The EC described Mr. Simons' claims as false and aimed at misleading the public.

In response to these claims, the EC provided a detailed explanation of its procurement processes and decisions regarding BVDs and BVRs.

The EC explained that in June 2018, the previous administration of the Commission had budgeted and received approval to invest US$56 million for the refurbishment of BVDs and BVRs, a Data Centre, and security enhancements under voter registration and voter verification projects.

However, the current administration of the Commission decided to cancel the contract for total refurbishment and procurement of new BVDs, opting instead for a minimal maintenance arrangement.

In 2020, based on the experience with the equipment in the 2019 DLE, the current Commission applied for and received approval from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) to acquire new BVDs, BVRs, a Data Centre, and a Data Recovery Centre.

The EC's statement included a breakdown comparing the approved 2018 budget for BVDs and BVRs to the approved 2020 budget for new BVDs, BVRs, and the cost of BVDs and BVRs required in 2020 at the 2018 approved prices.

The EC emphasized that its decisions were strategic and aimed at achieving cost savings while ensuring the integrity and efficiency of the electoral process.