SMOOTHENING THE GHANACARD ACQUISITION PROCESSES

Almost six years into rolling out a national digitalisation programme, we still appear stuck in the mud, unable to assure ourselves as a nation that we would, at the set date, have optimally digitalised.

That is beside the saga of crazy propaganda that tends to afflict nearly every effort and initiative at growing our economy and developmental structures.

Unfortunately, those who should be striving to coordinate activities in living out the timelines do not, however, appear to most Ghanaians to be coordinating or unifying their processes well in delivering the GhanaCards to citizens.

It becomes more worrying when agencies in charge of the processes create opportunity for political goons to further infect the grounds with their needless propaganda.

That is notwithstanding the initial mischief of discouraging followers from hooking onto the digitalisation processes, when the exercise took off.

Template, idle cards

The Daily Statesman thought the National Identification Authority would work in line with the template developed by the Electoral Commission. That could have, arguably, fast-tracked ID card production processes for delivery to the citizenry.

Unfortunately, the NIA is clogged with the baggage of ID cards that have not been collected because owners may not have been aware about their being there.

Whatever the challenges are, the solution remains entirely within the corridors of the agencies rolling out the processes. That people need the cards to get into the system is the reason why we still find queues everywhere.

Friendly communication

While the complaints have been ongoing, it additionally appears that the important assurance ingredient has been missing in feedbacks, adding to fears that a section of the public might be blocked out through no fault of theirs.

That may not be politically beneficial, given the fact that the digitalisation exercise largely benefits government, in connecting with the people, including planning infrastructure and social protection programmes.

That is why, at this point, those in charge of the processes need to be friendly in communicating with the public, other than being merely dogmatic and evasive.

Meeting expectation

Unfortunately, where we also expect our Legislature to intervene in a bipartisan manner, it is rather conflict and confrontation in pockets of ‘academies’ that are adding to the initial threat to scuttle the exercise, as was done to the E-Levy rollout.

The Daily Statesman therefore believes there is the need for a warmer and healthier approach to the issues, including inviting the heads of the relevant agencies to explain the issues.

In the estimation of the general public, it also seems strange that the relevant agencies tasked to effectively roll out the processes for the acquisition of the GhanaCard are not on the same wavelength in giving assurances or explaining delays.

Certainly, this calls for collaboration and consensus in discussing the issues, and commonly confronting them in producing the cards faster enough to meet the expectations of the general public and civil society.