Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan and lawyer, Joe Ghartey, says the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) will continue to invest in the government’s digitalisation agenda despite criticism.

He stated that another goal of the digitalisation agenda is to combat corruption among the Ghanaian populace, adding that the country’s legal framework will not be left out in the fight against corruption.

According to him, "What I am saying is that we will continue to implement and expand the legal framework and technological infrastructure that will make corruption more difficult and less attractive."

Explaining how the expansion of technology will help mitigate corruption in the country, Mr Ghartey gave a scenario involving a road traffic offender caught on a street camera in Accra.

He said, "One of my colleagues was talking on his phone in Accra, and when he had driven about 100 metres, he was stopped by the police. They said he was talking on the phone, but he denied it. They then showed him the video of him talking on the phone. So now, when he is driving and someone calls him, he won’t pick up the phone."

The former railway minister believes that by investing more in the nation’s technology, it can help in tackling corruption.

Mr Ghartey was speaking at an event held by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), titled “Elections and Anti-Corruption”, on Thursday, 14th November.

Representatives of the various political parties contesting in this year’s election were also part of the panel discussion.

The Digital Ghana Agenda seeks to digitise government services, build a biometric national identity register, deploy a digital property addressing system, implement mobile money interoperability, and institutionalise paperless port operations, among other initiatives.

The programme, led by the Ministry of Communications, plays a pivotal role in the development of a robust framework to support the digitisation of the Ghanaian economy in a way that benefits all citizens.

It is championed by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.