Ghana is on its way to becoming the first blockchain-powered government in Africa, according to Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia. The Vice President made this announcement in Accra during the 14th Commonwealth Regional Conference and Annual General Meeting of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa.
Dr. Bawumia emphasized the importance of adopting blockchain technology to ensure transparency and tamper-proof data and transactions within the government space. He highlighted the significant progress made in digitalizing government services, with 99% of government agencies already onboarded onto the Ghana.gov platform.
“We are moving towards blockchain because technology because blockchain technology makes it possible to discover any and all changes made to digital data, no matter how small, no matter by whom, we will find it immediately,” the Vice President stated.
Dr. Bawumia also addressed the issue of corruption in Africa, noting that the continent has lost at least one trillion US Dollars over the past five years through corruption and illicit financial flows. He called for more investment in digital tools to fight the corruption ecosystem effectively.
The Vice President highlighted the strides made in Ghana’s fight against corruption, including the issuance of a unique identity card and address for all Ghanaians and resident foreigners. He emphasized the need for African governments to invest in acquiring the necessary tools to combat cross-border corruption and cybercrime.
Dr. Bawumia’s vision is for Ghana to become the first blockchain-powered government in Africa and one of the few in the world. He urged African countries to leverage digitalization to disrupt the entire corruption value chain and give the continent a fighting chance against poverty and underdevelopment.
