The Director of Electoral Services at Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, has reassured the public that the 2024 general election will not be affected by recent internet disruptions.
Dr. Quaicoe clarified that both presidential and parliamentary election results are declared manually, eliminating dependency on internet services.
Addressing concerns raised by some Ghanaians regarding potential internet disruptions on election day, Dr. Quaicoe explained that the Biometric Verification Devices used in the electoral process operate offline using SD cards, ensuring the integrity of the election results.
“Our results declaration process is basically manual.
The Biometric Verification Devices use SD cards with the data on them and they don’t use Internet so there is no way the 2024 elections will be affected if there are issues with Internet connectivity as being experienced now,” Dr Quaicoe told the Daily Graphic.
Dr. Quaicoe emphasised, highlighting the manual counting and collation processes followed by the EC officials.
He further elaborated that the collation of results is conducted using computers without internet connectivity, guaranteeing the elections’ smooth operation regardless of internet disruptions.
“So, the election day has nothing to do with Internet connectivity.
“The officers will physically send the results to the collation centres, and the results will be collated manually on the access sheet, which has no Internet connectivity.
The region will also do the collation just using the computer without Internet connectivity.”
Despite nationwide internet disruptions affecting various sectors recently, including banking, academics, and transportation services, Dr. Quaicoe urged the public not to panic, assuring them that the electoral process remains unaffected.
The National Communications Authority (NCA) also acknowledged the impact of the disruptions and pledged to work diligently with stakeholders to restore full connectivity.
Efforts are underway to assess and repair the damage to ensure improved data services in the coming days, ensuring minimal disruptions ahead of the 2024 general election.