Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has emphasized the importance of the digitalization efforts he has spearheaded during the tenure of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government.
Speaking at the inaugural Nation Development Conference organized by the Church of Pentecost, which focused on the significance of building moral values to drive Ghana’s development, Dr. Bawumia highlighted that their administration not only advocates for moral values among Ghanaians but has also implemented concrete measures to address unethical behavior.
He specifically cited the successful example of digitalizing the operations of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), which effectively put an end to the misappropriation of state funds within the company.
The digitalization drive played a crucial role in curbing the stealing of funds and promoting transparency in the management of state resources.
“We noticed some very, very interesting piece of data which speaks to the problems of ECG. We look at the data and for a period of four years or so the revenue of ECG was virtually constant. We said this cannot be possible. How can you get more customers and revenue was virtually the same?
“They didn’t even take their time to change the value, so we sent in a team to look at the architecture of revenue collection at ECG and digitalise the process. They were collecting GH¢450 million a month.
“When we sent in the team, there was subrogate, a malware was introduced into the system by people working right there and we then brought in a whole new architecture. And after the completion of this digitalisation process, GH¢450 million a month increased into GH¢1.2 billion every month,” he narrated.
During the inaugural National Development Conference, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia highlighted the significant achievements made through digitalization efforts in the Akufo-Addo government. He cited examples such as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) where digitalization effectively curbed misappropriation of state funds. Furthermore, revenue collection agencies, including the Passport Office, saw a remarkable increase in revenue from GH¢1 million to GH¢64 million per year, demonstrating the success of these measures.
The conference, held in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association, centered on the theme “Moral Vision and National Development.” Its primary focus was to discuss the necessity of a national moral vision accompanied by a concerted effort for overall national development.
The event was graced by prominent figures, including Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, and former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama.
Various government officials attended the conference, including Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Stephen Asamoah Boateng, and Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare.
The conference, which commenced on July 27, 2023, was attended by Members of Parliament, including Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, as well as members of the Council of State. Notably present were also members of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, representatives from various churches in Ghana, and representatives from the National Chief Imam.