Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia shows off the Ghanacard. Picture source: Bawumia.com

Ghana’s vice president Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has spoken of the progress that the country has made on its digitalisation journey, and says digital identity and address systems have been key pillars.

Speaking in Accra last week, as part of his campaign tour, Bawumia said he had long been an advocate that African countries needed to increase their levels of digital maturity in order to catch up with developed economies, which were leaving the continent’s economies behind.

"In a modern economy, digitalisation is key to solving a lot of problems, not only in Ghana, but across Africa," he said.

Two of the initiatives that Bawumia has advocated for, have been instrumental in helping to digitise the country, he said. These were digital identity, through the Ghanacard, and a digital address system.

Bawumia said that a priority in the digital world is to give citizens a digital identity, which is why the government introduced the Ghanacard.

"85% of adults in Ghana now have the Ghanacard. We have issued 18 million Ghana cards and that makes Ghana the leading country in Sub- Saharan African for digital identity. Today, even children who are born in Ghana, we are giving them digital identities, just as it happens abroad."

He explains the Ghanacard is linked to the national identity number, which integrates with the birth and death registries.

In February, Mactar Seck, chief of Technology and Innovation, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said that countries could unlock economic value “equivalent to between three and 13 percent of GDP in 2030” by implementing digital ID programmes.

PwC predicted in 2021 that the global digital identity market will be worth $33 billion in 2025, reflecting a 26% compound annual growth rate from 2020.

Bawumia also added that the government had also introduced a digital address system, which was key to creating a digital economy.

"When we came into office, Ghana didn’t have an address system that was working throughout the country. But an address system is one of the most important elements for any modern economy," he said.