According to IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) wants to rip out a system worth $60 million, of which value at least $40 million has accumulated since just 2016, and spend $150 million (plus contingency) constructing a new one.
18 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operating in Ghana, spanning a range of focuses and backgrounds, were recently invited to a “briefing” by the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) to support the latter’s efforts to compile a fresh biometric register, replace the entirety of the existing biometric voters management system (BVMS) and spend roughly $150 million (accounting for contingency) doing so.
The CSOs emphatically rejected the EC’s position.
According to IMANI's report, "As promised, the second cost-related, procurement-inspired spirited defence mounted against the EC's push for a completely new register is on cost-comparators with other African countries (some more populous) that use similar biometric electoral processes."
IMANI continues to state in the report that;
a. At any rate, the proposed pricing suggested by the EC for the BVRs and BVDs it intends to buy ($3,500 and $400 respectively), which are the main cost drivers in setting up a Biometric Voter Management System (BVMS), apart from the mass registration/enrolment exercise itself, and which it touts as having led to savings, are actually grossly inflated if one benchmarks against several recent elections in the African region. We have provided a quick snapshot in a subsequent section.
b. But even before a regional benchmarking survey is discussed, it is useful to advert minds to an earlier EC procurement activity, in 2015, which awarded a $38 million-plus contract to STL, and which inferentially priced BVDs for roughly $222 and BVRs for roughly $3,000. The scuttling of this order and the downward revision of the amount following a new contract in 2015 is a matter of public record.
c. A most illustrative regional case study is that of Zimbabwe’s ZEC (that country’s elections management body), which opened up the entire procurement process, from inception planning to vendor demos, in stark contrast to Ghana’s opaque process, and ended up procuring 3000 BVRs from the Laxton Group in 2017/2018 for $1300 per kit and an Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) from IPSIDY for less than $1.7 million. These spending patterns, like the roughly $750 per next-generation, integrated, BVR tablet that Kenya procured for its most recent elections, or the $188 Nigeria paid for its BVDs, completely undermine the argument being propagated by the EC that by paying $3500, or even $3000, per BVR kit and $400 per BVD it is saving the country money.
d. If the EC adjusts its planned procurement spending pattern to suit the best practice in the Africa region, it can save at least 60% of its projected expenditure on the BVMS. These are the true potential savings the EC dare not consider.
In reaction to the above stated in the latest second IMANI report, Jacob Osei Yeboah popularly known as JOY, an independent Presidential candidate who contested in the 2012 and 2016 Presidential elections has given a response to IMANI.
He argues that IMANI was trying to make a point in its second report but still fell short.
"The 2nd is a bit better than the first," he stated.
According to him, the cost is dependent on the specifications of the BVR kits used by the respective countries as well as the branding.
"Don't call Nokia 3310 and Huawei Y9 as mobile phones and conclude Huawei Y9 is too expensive."
He added that "when you go on International competitive tendering, you cannot conjure the quotations except those submitted by Bidders."
He outlined his defence argument as follows:
a. The $3500 BVR is what the monopolistic Vendor is quoting for refurbishing, whilst New Ones will cost $5,145. EC is getting a new one at $3000. Apart from specifications, quantity discounts and Country specific scenarios can all play a factor.
b. Imani research on monopolistic tendencies coupled with the same forewarning of EOL of equipment as an avenue to increase prices. Don't be simplistic in your analysis. Give credit to the current EC's decisions and don't hold the current for 2015 ill decisions.
c. It is a good attempt Imani though. Let's have the respective specifications. Go to EC find out the quotations of the bidders, because it's a public document before you rush with conclusions. How can you be unfair to say EC's own is an opaque process. Do the right thing Imani.
d. I wish EC will have the opportunity to achieve these further savings all things being equal. But, is Imani suggesting EC to open tender again or to engage those vendors for the other countries. I can't think far, Imani. And you still want EC to deliver election 2020.
Imani rethink about your stance, my piece of advice else the integrity of your reports will be doubted afterwards. Stay above this as the President and NPP has challenged the credibility of your 48% scoring.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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You called farmers "ordinary?" Are you thinking rational? Is you and your entire family better than farmers in Ghana? Are you and your family better than national best farmers? All this people are in Ghana how can the country develop with this mind set that farmers are nobody, meanwhile you eat food like hungry elephant, and the food is produce by the same "ordinary" farmers you are talking about.
The level of arrogance the imani bunch has been displaying is akin to the kweku ananse ntikuma syndrome. Franklin and his lot behave as if knowledge resides in only their heads and hence begin to run tantrums whenever their ideas are proven to be substandard or mediocre. EC is doing a good and intelligent job by seeking to change an obsolete technology which has dependency designed into it. Imani must stop portraying intellectual arrogance
THERE SHOULD BE AN URGENT CORDINATION BETWEEN NIA AND EC SO THAT GHANA CARD IS USED FOR THE ELECTORAL REGISTER. WHAT IS THE SENSEEEE TO ACQUIRING NEW EQUIPEMENT TO START NEW REGISTRATION FOR ELECTION. AT WORST ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL SHOULD BE GRANTED TO NIA TO WORK FASTER TO COMPLETE ITS WORK. MY GOD. IS ANYBODY THINKING IN GHANA, I AM SORRY. WHAT A WASTE SOCIETY. HOW CAN WE GROW WHEN WE DONT HAVE VALUE FOR MONEY. WE WASTE SO MUCH FOR NOTHING. YES, EC MAY SAVE A LOT OF MONEY BY NEW EQUIPEMENT FOR NEW REGISTER BUT THAT CANNOT BE BETTER THAN SUPPORTING NIA TO PROVIDE THE DATA BASE TO BE EXTRACTED FOR EC REGISTER. THE LATTER MAY COST ALMOST NOTHING. PLEASE, DEAR EMINENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, DO SOMETHING TO SAVE THE NATIONS THE COST FOR NEW EQUIPMENT FOR NEW REGISTER. CALL TOGETHER THE EC TECHNICIANS AND GHANAIAN TECHNICIANS AT HOME AND ABROAD WHO CAN HELP TO MAKE NIA DATA BASE AVAILABLE AND APPLICABLE FOR 2020 ELECTIONS. GHANA CARD CANNOT HAVE ANY BETTER IMPORTANCE WHATSOEVER THAN TO BE USE FOR ELECTIONS. WHATEVER PROBLEMS NIA HAVE NOW CANNOT BE WORSE THAN WHAT A NEW REGISTRATION CARD FOR ELECTION MAY HAVE. ANY PROBLEM FOR GHANA CARD TODAY CAN BE RESOLVE FASTER AND BETTER THAN THE UNKNOWN PROBLEM THAT NEW ELECTORAL REGISTRATION CARD MAY CAUSE. IN FACT IF A NEW CARD IS MADE FOR ELECTION MANY PEOPLE MAY NOT FIND IT IMPORTANCE TO COLLECT THEIR GHANA CARD FROM NIA, ANOTHER WASTE. THOUGH THE PRODUCTION AND ACQUISITION OF GHANA CARD HAS NO TIME BOUND A DEADLINE CAN BE SET TO SEAL THE DATE FOR THE EXTRACTION OF THE ELECTORAL REGISTER. EAC MUST HELP TO BRING ALL RELATED TECHNICAL MINDS OF EC, NIA AND OTHER GHANAIANS EITHER HOME AND ABROAD TOGETHER TO FORMULATE WHAT IS NEEDED TO ACCOMPLISH A CREDIBLE ELECTIONS. THEIR FINDINGS AND PROPOSALS MUST BE BROUGHT BEFORE EC, POLITICAL PARTIES, CIVIL SOCIETIES IN A SHORT POSSIBLE TIME. THOUGH THIS IS NOT IMAGINED, WHEN ALL BECOME INVOLVED WE CANNOT BLAME EC FOR ANY DELAY SHOULD IN CASE IT HAPPENS SO BECAUSE THIS IS GHANA PROJECT AND NOT ONLY EC PROJECT. WE WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR GHANA AT A REASONABLE MINIMUM COST. THE EARLY WE START WORKING TOGETHER THE BETTER IT IS FOR ALL OF US. ONE MAY ASK WHY SHOULD WE DO ALL THIS ONLY WHEN NPP IS IN GOVERNMENT AND NOT NDC WHO IS ALWAYS ALLOWED TO HAVE A FIELD DAY? MY ANSWER IS THAT AS PARENTS WE ADVICE OOR CHILDREN WHO TAKE ADVISE. WE DON'T WASTE OUR TIME ON THOSE WHO DO NOT APPRECIATE THE VALUE FOR REASONING. NPP MUST ALSO KNOW THAT THEY ARE DOING ALL FOR GHANA AND THEY MUST GIVE WHAT IS THE BEST TO THE FUTURE GENERATION WHETHER THEY ARE IN POWER OR NOT. NO GOOD DEED GOES UNREWARDED. WE NEVER HEARD OF EAC DURING NDC TIME BUT NPP IN THEIR WISDOM HAVE ESTABLISHED IT. WE MUST SUPPORT IT TO WORK FOR ALL.
I believe any honest intellectual or institution would agree with me that, indeed, the EC beforehand had done extensive consultations before holding on to her stance of the need for compiling a new Voters’ Register. Therefore, any institution, whether Think Tank or Civil Society that seeks to discredit the EC, because it holds varied views is being academically disingenuous. Then, different opinions and views are academically healthy, thus, they exhibit informed and constructive criticism. Hence, the discourse and the argumentation of the issue at hand should be civil and factually strong to help the public make individual opinions without making those who hold different views look suspicious of any wrong-doing let alone discrediting them. There is a common etiquette which says: if somebody is telling you a ridiculous story, or all that may have the earmarks of being a bid lie, do not for your best interest give him a suspicious look as much as to say, I know you are lying to me. It is only civil to present your views based on your pieces of information, facts, and expertise without offending those who hold different views. We have to see it as a competition of ideas that seeks to convince, win the public, and institutions to make informed decisions. For the IMANI to be using implied languages to create the impression that only IMANI can be correct and the EC is diabolic in its decision is very unfortunate. Though the EC had explained most of the points IMANI seeks to be at variance with, yet IMANI maintains its position. I think, within the discretional nature of some decisions EC had to take, I believe strongly that, EC is doing a good and credible job.
mr know all imani
He has been sorted out,
"ordinary farmer"? The day Ghana breaks this mindset, that's the day we'll begin to prosper. Assuming JOY is a farmer, does that make him 'ordinary'? Who is ordinary by the way? It's a sha.me!
Who is Joy? is he not equal to any ordinary farmer but has access to media space?