Ghana works to digitalise its institutions to improve working conditions

COVID-19 has shown the need for robust institutions that can keep operating at full capacity in difficult situations. Restrictions on movement have drawn attention to the importance of digitalising institutions and the work they do. A total of 38,364 euros have been allocated to digital tools under the ARAP project to help Ghanaian institutions to improve the digital work environment, which is being executed by the FIIAPP and funded by the European Union.

The beneficiaries of this initiative are the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Ghana Police Service (GPS), the Attorney General (AG), the Judicial and Justice Service (JS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Legal Assistance Commission (LAC) and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

Deployment of digital tools in the public sector has always been a core aspect of the ARAP project, which aims to reduce corruption and improve accountability in Ghana. In this regard, the use of technology has been a key area of work for all stakeholders, strengthening internal capacities and setting up online platforms such as the online reporting dashboard of the National Action Plan to Combat Organised Crime (NACORD) or the web application of the Public Relations and Claims Unit.

This line of work is in alignment with the Ghanaian government’s digitalisation strategy. At a conference held by CHRAJ in December 2019, the vice president of Ghana identified digitalisation as the way forward.

With this aim in mind, ARAP has provided partner institutions with modems and routers, along with data subscriptions to take it to the end of the year. Licences have also been acquired for several online conferencing tools.

These actions have been taken in response to a critical situation exacerbated by the global pandemic, and allow ARAP to carry out all its final activities, such as training, workshops and validations, through online meetings before the end of the project, scheduled for January 2021. The project also improves stakeholder effectiveness and efficiency, ensuring that central and regional offices are fully connected and can continue to provide essential services to their citizens.