Madam Vice Chancellor, Pro-Vice Chancellors, Provost of the College of Humanities, Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Head, Department of Political Science, other Heads and Directors present, all invited dignitaries, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
CDS Africa, is an independent think tank that promotes democracy as a vehicle for development in Africa. We believe that the popular sovereignty, peace and stability that democracy engenders are imperative for sustainable development. Our work recognizes democracy as a critical input for development and sees its advocacy as inherently linked to the pursuit of socio-economic growth.
We deliver high-quality research, training, and advocacy actions to promote democracy and stimulate, support or influence policy reforms to drive socioeconomic development. We pursue our goal inclusively through partnerships with institutions, CSOs, communities and citizens across the globe.
Therefore, it gives us great joy to partner the Department of Political Science to hold this roundtable conference to discuss issues concerning "Electronic Technology and the future of elections in Ghana". At CDS Africa, we believe that this conference on such an important subject matter couldn’t have come at a better time, especially as our country is preparing to go into general elections next year.
Even before that, we recently had a by-election in Kumawu, and in a couple of weeks, we are going to witness another one in Assin North. In all these elections and by-elections, we have had to rely on the biometric registration and verification systems, a form of electronic technology which has proven useful in eliminating ghost names from the voters’ register.
While we acknowledge the success of the BVR, we are also aware of the many controversies that arise every voting period to test the limits of public trust in the use of electronic technology in our elections. We do admit that there are many more software and systems that can be used in the future to make our elections more robust and guard against electioneering fraud. It is in light of this, that as an organization that is committed to consolidating democracy and socioeconomic development in Africa, we are excited to be part of what we consider to be a historic conference.
We believe the perspectives advanced by the keynote speaker, discussants, and participants will deepen our appreciation for the role of technology in Ghana's quest to consolidate its democracy. There will be several lessons that we all can take with us. We implore all present to keep up the spirit and show that we can make change happen, not only in Ghana but on the continent– if we remain disciplined and resolute in our commitment to uphold and defend the Constitution. On this note, we wish all participants of today’s roundtable a successful deliberation.
Thank you and God bless our homeland Ghana.
