The Electoral Commission (EC) has said it spent ¢2b to repair the Biometric Verification Device (BVDs) for the District Level Elections on December 17, 2019.
Additionally, the EC paid US$400 million to the Vendor, Superlock Technologies Limited (STL) annually for maintenance of the biometric solution, thus, describing it as a drain on the public purse.
However, Mr. Samuel Tettey, a Deputy Chairperson in charge of Operation at the EC, has said plans are underway to procure new BVDs and biometric kits that are modern, reliable, robust and affordable for the December 7 elections, 2020 to safeguard the integrity and credibility of the elections.
A biometric device is a security identification and authentication device. Such devices use automated methods of verifying or recognizing the identity of a living person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic.
These characteristics include fingerprints, facial images, iris, and voice recognition.
Ghana’s Electoral Commission first used GenKey’s biometric technology to register and verify voters in the country’s 2012 general election. That election was a world first: the first time biometric technology was used to verify voters’ identities on an election day.
Three years later, the Electoral Commission again used GenKey’s biometric solution, this time to deliver Ghana’s municipal elections.
The lead contractor is Ghana-based STL Supertech, partnering with GenKey for the biometric verification process.
GenKey is an expert in biometrics. Together with partners, they provide a full range of digital biometric identity products, used by governments, public institutions and businesses. With over 100 million identities verified, GenKey has a proud reputation in supporting developing economies in their need to build sustainable biometric identity solutions. GenKey operates globally, with offices in Europe, Africa, and the US.
Source: Kofi Atakora
