Digitization, a weapon against corruption – Bawumia

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), says digitalisation is key to fighting corruption in Ghana, citing the significant impact of the Ghana Card on the public sector wage bill.

According to him, the introduction of the Ghana Card has provided a unique identity to 18 million adult Ghanaians, enabling the detection and elimination of ghost workers and pensioners, and resulting in substantial savings for the country.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, August 25, 2024, Dr Bawumia expressed confidence in the effectiveness of digitalization in the fight against corruption, saying it has helped address long-standing problems.

He highlighted the identification and elimination of 29,000 ghost pensioners by SSNIT, saving GH¢400 million, and the detection of 44,000 ghost servicemen by the National Service Secretariat, saving over GH¢350 million.

The NPP flagbearer noted that digitalization has enabled the elimination of all ghost workers on the payroll of the Comptroller and Accountant General, marking a significant step forward in the fight against corruption.

“Digitisation is the key to fighting corruption. When I look at the impact of the Ghana Card on the public sector wage bill, I am convinced that we are on the right track to fight corruption. The Ghana Card provides a unique identity through the fingerprint of every adult Ghanaian. So far, we have issued 18 million Ghana Cards.”

“If we take the example of SSNIT, which verified pensioners and ensured that each one had a unique identity on the payroll, it discovered 29,000 ghost pensioners, just because of the Ghanaian card, which saved SSNIT close to GHS 400 million.”

“The National Service Secretariat found 44,000 ghost employees, which saved us over 350 million cedis. With digitalisation and the Ghana Card, we have been able to eliminate all ghost employees on the payroll of controllers and accountants, which is a major step forward in the fight against corruption because these are things that have been going on for a very long time, but digitalisation is helping us deal with it.”