Vice President Bawumia
Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has revealed that the digitisation of most government institutions across the country has drastically reduced the practice of bribery and corruption.
He further noted that the digitisation initiative has resulted in government raking in substantial revenue for development.
According to him, corruption has been curbed at various institutions like Ghana Post, Passport Office, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), National Health Insurance Authority and several others through the digitisation policy.
The Vice-President was speaking at the Ghana – EU Dialogue held in Accra on Wednesday on the theme, “Ghana and EU partners for the Future.”
He said the introduction of the electronic justice system in the courts is also to curb the challenges of misplacement of documents, lobbying, bribery and corruption, amongst others, in the judicial systems.
“We have increased budgetary allocation of funds to various institutions that are vehicles for the fight against the menace of corruption and former appointees of government are being prosecuted for the practice of corruption,” he said.
Economic blocks
The Vice-President said the government has, over the last three years, been busy creating and building economic blocks for the transformation of the country through industrialisation and digitisation of the economy.
Government, he pointed out, is poised to maintain the fiscal discipline to ensure growth and development of the country.
He said, by focusing on the building blocks of industrialisation, the NPP government has embarked on numerous flagship programmes, including One Village, One Dam, One District, One Factory, among others, to eradicate poverty.
He indicated that the fact that about 70 per cent of factories built under the One District, One Factory initiative are mostly under agriculture is an indication of the government’s commitment to generating jobs in rural communities.
The Vice-President also touched on the One Constituency, One Ambulance and Free SHS programme, saying they are initiatives aimed at protecting the vulnerable and the poor.
EU as development bedrock
Diana Acconcia, head of EU delegation to Ghana, reiterated that the Africa Union and European Union are natural allies in matters of peace and development.
She was excited about Ghana taking more leadership roles in the issue of infrastructure, peace and development not only in sub-Saharan Africa, but also the African continent.
In her opening remarks, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, stated that Ghana and Europe have been bound together for centuries with a common history and interlocking cultures, resulting in commitment to shared values.
The Minister appreciated the fact that Ghana continues to benefit from the EU in terms of global trade. She noted that, as far as Ghana is concerned, the EU has been an important bedrock for the development of Ghana.
The dialogue was to reaffirm the high premium placed on the relationship with the EU, and also to discuss ways and means to elevate the relationship beyond traditional development cooperation.
