How did we ever let Mahama to slip away? Part Four

Folks, thank you very much for sticking and staying with me on the serialization of the article, "President Mahama's Massive Investment in digitalizing Ghana" by Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Dr. George Atta-Boateng. Please tighten your seatbelt as we journey through another fascinating episode.

E-Government


E-Government (Digital applications) was a collaboration between the Government of Ghana and the

Read full articleWorld Bank. Actual implementation of the various modules of E-Government started in 2009. Pilot roll out of E-workspace, E-Health, E-Cabinet, and E-Justice had been successfully completed before John Mahama left office in 2016.

On E-Workspace, the main objectives of John Mahama were to, among other things:

1. Run a paperless governance system and reduce the time and energy public and civil servants spend on printing or photocopying documents;

2. Improve data and information access for decision making, which ultimately will help with the right to information agenda;

3. Increase productivity for public and civil servants for the benefit of millions of Ghanaians on the demand side; and

4. Ensure transparency and accountability in Government’s administrative records.

The Project deployed over hundred Portal Content Management (PCM) systems and hundred HP Scanjet Enterprise Flow s2 high volume scanners for some selected MMDAs.

Some of these MMDAs were: Ministry of Communication (MoC), Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), Judicial Service, Public Services Commission, Ghana Investment Promotion Commission, Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Highway Authority, Lands Commission, UPSA and PRAAD, all Ministries and other MDAs. The components of the PCM systems were: Intranet Portals, Meeting Management Systems, Document and correspondence Management Systems.

In addition, special user training sessions were also held for some selected personnel of these MMDAs to undertake simple tasks such as Email and messaging, virtual meetings, electronic filing, storing and retrieval of administrative records, webinars, etc.

It must be placed on record that President Mahama successfully piloted E-Health in 2016. By the end of 2016, the project had been piloted in four hospitals in Ghana; namely, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Korle Bu Polyclinic, Wa Regional and Zebilla District hospitals.


With regard to E-Cabinet, the automation of cabinet activities, a portal was developed to manage and coordinate meetings online. All ministers of state were trained on how to file and digitize records. As of November 2016, 20 Cabinet meetings had been managed from the E-Cabinet portal. This helped improve greatly the communication between Ministries and the Cabinet Secretariat.


On E-Justice, beyond the initial interventions made which included deployment of videoconferencing and Telepresence facilities to the Judiciary through then Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Woode, feasibility studies were conducted, Request for Proposals (RFPS) were sought, and International Competitive Bids (ICBs) were evaluated and submitted to the World Bank for ‘A No Objection’. Same process can be said for E-Parliament.

It is worth noting that E-Justice was commissioned by President Akufo-Addo a year ago. This intervention has reduced the cost of justice delivery in the country, sped up court proceedings, and given litigants easier access to information.

Last but not least, a Software Requirement Specification (SRS) document and surveys had been concluded for the implementation of E-Parliament before President Mahama left office in 2017.

Conclusion


In conclusion, the achievements of President John Dramani Mahama in Ghana’s digital space is yet to be surpassed by this government. In this piece, we have not even discussed the Digital Terrestrial Transition (DTT) Platform which has transformed broadcasting in Ghana. He has made Ghana more competitive with the rest of the world in this digital revolution.

His digital infrastructure and applications continue to fuel the growth of Ghana’s economy and has made life more convenient and improved the quality of life of millions of Ghanaians. It has practically changed and positively impacted every sphere of Ghana.

Wow! What a legacy! How did we ever let Mahama to slip away. How I wish we could turn back the hands of time.

There is huge disappointment and regret hanging around the necks of the people of Ghana like a pendant. They are determined to make amends. Walahi, talahi, something go happen on December 7, 2024. Biribi besi (hey) biribi besi.