Salutations
- Minister for Lands and Natural Resources;
- Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources,
- Board Chairman of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC);
- Managing Director and Staff of PMMC;
- Directors Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources;
- Nananom, Niimei, Naamei,
- Members of the Press;
- Distinguished Guests,
- Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very happy to be participating in this function – the launch of the Digitalized National Assay Laboratory – which ties in very well with Government’s agenda; an agenda that I have been privileged to spearhead under the auspices of His Excellency the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The goal is to streamline governance by cutting down on the human interface and making processes digital and more efficient.
Ladies and Gentlemen, in 2017, President Akufo-Addo, directed that Government identifies a way to independently verify gold exports in order to ensure that the country obtains revenue due it from its precious mineral resources.
As a result, under the leadership of Kiston Akomeng Kissi, the Board Chairman of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company Limited (PMMC) and driven by the late Hon. Kwadjo Opare-Hammond (may his soul rest in peace), the then Managing Director of PMMC, stakeholder engagements begun towards the implementation of this directive.
Following several engagements with the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Association of Gold Exporters, now Chamber of Bullion Traders, Ghana, modalities for the smooth take-off of the National Assay Program were put in place.
The Program has been carried out through the National Assay Laboratory, which was first set up and equipped with support from the World Bank through the Minerals Commission. We are grateful to the World Bank for this support. We would also like to encourage more collaboration among the agencies of State, as happened between the Minerals Commission and the PMMC to see to the establishment of the Laboratory.
My personal interest in seeing to the implementation of the President’s directive, along with the support of the then Sector Minister, saw PMMC officially commence operations as the National Assayer with the mandate to assay all gold earmarked for export from Ghana, in February 2018.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have, therefore, followed with keen interest the consistent efforts to improve the program to maximize its efficiency. I am informed that as part of measures to optimize revenue and ultimately maximize the benefits from our natural resources, the silver identified in the gold d’ore which is exported shall soon be quantified and the appropriate tax levied on and collected from same.
Again, in 2021, under the leadership of Hon. Kissi, with support from the Sector Minister, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor and driven by the current Managing Director, Nana Akwasi Awuah, the National Assay Program was digitalized.
Digitization has now made it possible to generate assay certificates which have unique security features. These unique features will make the certificates difficult to forge by gold scammers to facilitate their dubious elaborate schemes.
Digitization has also now made it possible to monitor in real time, gold exports passing through the National Assay Laboratory. Additionally, it has improved collation of timely data on gold export figures and revenues in order to aid national economic planning.
As are aware, Government is already transforming the governance of various sectors of Ghana’s economy through digitization. Government’s digitization drive is a key component of the overall economic strategy because the Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and Ghana must take advantage of it if we are not to be left behind. There is a growing body of empirical evidence that illustrates the capacity of digital technology to create jobs, significantly boost productivity, increase income and support wealth creation.
The digitalization drive of Government is spreading to cover many sectors of the national economy. One area where the Government has made significant inroads has been using digitalization to address the issue of efficient public service delivery and checking corruption.
Our approach to improving the delivery of public services is to minimize human contact as much as possible. Consequently, we have embarked on an aggressive digitalization of the processes of service delivery across many public institutions.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to indicate that the launch of the Digitalized National Assay Laboratory today is a major addition to the Government’s portfolio of digital initiatives already implemented. Some key earlier ones include:
Digitalization of the Passport Office: Following digitization, passport applications are now online and there is no need for middlemen or for the payment of bribes to obtain a passport. The average turnaround time for the acquisition of passports has been significantly reduced and there is even now an additional option of delivery service.
Digitalization of the Ports: Most of the bottlenecks that caused delays, corruption, inefficiencies, frustration and loss of revenue to Government are being eliminated as a result of digitalization at our national ports.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA): With the digitalization of the driver licenses in 2019, the Authority experienced an increase in service delivery by 109% in 2020. As at August 2021, an additional 16% improvement in performance has been achieved.
Motor Insurance Database: The National Insurance Commission has, through the Motor Insurance Database, introduced a digitalized system to curb the menace of vehicles with fake motor insurance stickers plying our roads and endangering lives and property.
Registrar-General’s Department (RGD): By digitalization, processes at the Department have currently been made simple, transparent, and efficient.
Births and Deaths Registry Digitalization: Processing of the registration of births and deaths have improved significantly.
SSNIT: All SSNIT offices across Ghana have been networked and processes have been digitalized, improving its pension administration framework.
Scholarship Secretariat Applications: The launch of the online portal is in line with Government’s vision to improve the efficiency of scholarship administration in the country.
“Ghana.Gov” Platform: With its launch as a one-stop shop for easy access to government services, all government institutions are expected to be on the Ghana.Gov platform by the end of the year. The mobile Ghana.Gov App is also now available on Google Playstore and on Apple App Store.
Integration of Databases: The key to building a data-based economy is not only in generating data but more importantly the different sets of data must be integrated, synchronized and efficiently utilized. Ghana has the opportunity to integrate the databases that have been generated from the ongoing digitalization processes.
In this regard, there has been integration of the National ID card database with other databases such as that from Passport Office, SSNIT, NHIS, Ghana Revenue Authority, Banks, DVLA, SIM cards, mobile money accounts, Controller and Accountant Generals Department, Registrar Generals Department, Births and Deaths Registry and the Police CID, Ghana.Gov etc.
Government has not left out the private sector in its digitization drive. There have been partnerships with private sector in several areas including:
- National ID Card
- Digital Address System
- Mobile Money Interoperability
- Ghana.Gov platform
- Mobile Tax Filing Application
- Common Platform for Property Tax Administration
- Digitalization of the Hospital Medical Records, Passport Office, Paperless Ports, etc
- Nationwide E-Pharmacy Initiative
- Drone delivery system
In conclusion, Ladies and Gentlemen, Government under the leadership of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo recognizes that our progress as a nation in the modern world is inextricably linked to digitalization and will therefore continue its adoption for enhanced service delivery. It is a critical path for our nation to remain competitive in the world of today and tomorrow.
Government is willing to support any institution, public or private, which intends implementing digital initiatives for efficiency.
I therefore congratulate the Board and Management of PMMC for this laudable achievement to digitalize the National Assay Laboratory.
Thank you for your attention. God bless you and God bless our homeland Ghana.
