Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has hit back at public criticism of his recent comment that centered on the Ghana card and the country’s digitization campaign, which he leads.
Speaking at the the launch of a national electronic platform for medicine stores on Monday, July 18, 2022, Dr Bawumia said the criticisms result from a deep-seated impossibility mindset that fights national progress.
“There are many who refuse to understand the importance of digitalisation for our economic transformation…they will mock any new innovation,” he said.
His comments follow heavy trolls on social media last week for saying that he would choose the Ghana Card over 1,000 interchanges. The vice president made that comment to emphasise the importance of the national ID system to economic transformation.
But, many Ghanaias on social media trolled Dr Bawumia’s comparison, describing it as exaggerated and indigenous.
However, the vice president said critics couldn’t see the bigger picture while speaking at the event on Monday.
“We are confronted with a mindset that only sees impossibilities. A mindset that refuses to believe that African countries like Ghana can lead the world in the implementation of digital technologies,” he said.
“You cannot transform an economy with just brick and mortar, no. You can only transform an economy with ideas, systems and institutions. Not just brick and mortar,” Dr Bawumia stressed.
Last week, Dr Bawumia stirred up a controversy in the country when he commented that he would choose Ghana card over the construction of 1000 interchanges.
In the vice president’s attempt to get Ghanaians to buy into the national digitalisation drive he is leading, he said a successful national ID system like the Ghana Card was better than some physical infrastructure. He said a national ID system was a major vehicle for rapid transformation.
“Today, we have 16 million Ghanaians with unique identities, and that is a major transformation. A lot of people sometimes do not appreciate its impact…If you gave me 1,000 interchanges and the Ghana card, I would choose the Ghana card because it has more impact,” he said.
