Debate settled; the Ghana Card project was never started by this government, Murtala declares

The Vice-president of Ghana, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, aside from his in-depth knowledge in economics, is touted as an information technology genius for the various initiatives he has put in place to digitize the economy of the country. One of the grandest achievements he is often praised for is the introduction of the Ghana Card. The Ghana Card, if fully operational, among other things, will be used as the vehicle for data collection that will serve as the bedrock for government planning.

However, Murtala Mohammed, a leading member of the opposition National Democratic Congress, has said the Ghana Card project which the Nana Addo-led government is often praised for, was not started by them. Speaking on the Hot News Show on Pan Africa TV on November 3, Murtala Mohammed explained that the Ghana Card initiative was started by former President John Agykum Kuffour’s government. He added that the Mills government also continued the project when they won power before the Nana Addo-led government has come to continue.

“The Ghana Card was never started by this government. It was started by President Kuffour that needed to have a national identification. Which is fair and right because identification helps policymakers, planners of any society”, he said.

Meanwhile, touching on the digitization agenda driven by the Vice-president, Murtala Mohammed explained that, what the Vice-president tout himself to have achieved has not had any impact on the economy. He asked that Dr. Bawumia provide evidence of how his digitization agenda has helped to enhance security, education among others in the country. The former Member of Parliament for Nanton Constituency also took a swipe at the ruling New Patriotic Party for the one district one factory program. He stressed that the New Patriotic Party has not built a single factory, but only provides an enabling environment for the businesses to survive; a move which he said is done by all governments.