Developing a country without systems, data is like getting to Mars with a bicycle – Bawumia

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has underscored the indispensable role of building strong micro-foundations underpinned by systems and data in the development quest of African countries.

Dr Bawumia said most African countries are trying to develop without micro-foundations and systems to drive it, stressing that such a path will lead to failure, just as trying to get to Mars on a bicycle.

“Most African countries have tried to develop without the micro-foundations and systems to drive it. That has not and will not work.

“It is like trying to get to Mars on a bicycle. We have to be systems and data-driven economies. Digitisation is the key. Ghana is on course,” Dr Bawumia tweeted on Sunday.

Vice-President Bawumia is renowned for his passion for digitisation, and he is credited with spearheading the government’s digitisation drive, which has earned the country international plaudits.

The process to digitise the Ghanaian economy has so far seen the introduction of a biometric national ID card, digital addresses for houses and streets, universal QR code, mobile money interoperability which allows for payment to be made across mobile networks and banks, financial inclusion, the paperless system at the ports, online service for business registration, driver’s licence, passports and NHIS renewal among others.

As a result of digitisation, for example, the number of people with Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) has increased from 750,000 in 2016 to 15.5 million today.

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has also recently announced that from July, all taxes and customs duty will only be received electronically direct to the GRA’s bank accounts.