Editorial by Ghanaian Times: ECOWAS needs strong, widespread digitalisation infrastructure!!

Digitalization has become indispensable in the world today; hence, it is not surprising that the Eco­nomic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Resident Representative in Ghana, Baba Gana Wakil, is urging member states to consider digitalization in the socio-political and security landscapes.

For clarity in this editorial, we would take the socio-political landscape to be a combination of social and political issues that relate to the political and social lives of the people.

Examples are matters relating to human rights, economic equality, production, immigration, the spread of development projects, ecology, the environment, democracy, the rule of law, and mass media.

Security can be included here, but separating it from the other socio-political factors may require particular attention, which is important.

In a world today full of crimes, issues of security call for partic­ular attention, especially when criminals always attempt to be ahead of the security services.

Digitalization helps in crime prevention using such opportunities as DNA matching, automatic surveillance using artificial intelligence (AI), and face recognition, and improved digital exchange and analysis of global crime data.

What is critical is that ECOWAS countries should have the infrastructure that would help their people enjoy the benefits of being secured from all manner of crimes.

There should come a time when ECOWAS countries will have digital currencies for all the related benefits.

It is on record that Nordic or Scandinavian countries like Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden have efficiently digitised their financial infrastructure so that very few people carry cash.

Such a situation can have huge benefits for ECOWAS countries, where there is more money in the hands of the people than at the banks, resulting in criminal attacks for cash in which criminals even kill in order to take the money from individuals and other sources.

An effective digital currency system can reduce or even eliminate such attacks, and in addition, it can check money laundering, large-scale corruption like kickbacks from companies, tax evasion, and black market activities.

The police can also have effective tracking systems to trace criminals like mobile money scammers.

Digital identities and signatures can also help prevent forgery and corruption.

It is being said that one day all manufactured items used by society will be made smart and connected to the internet and can be programmed to be used by particular people so that intruders like thieves can be traced to the location of the item.

This means digitalization will render stealing a fruitless venture.

With regard to the areas of sociopolitics, digitalization has started impacting life in the ECOWAS space, except that it is not as widespread as elsewhere and also not at the same level among the member states.

But at least, digitalization is evident to some extent in the states, as, for example, all of them use smartphones, adopt digital technologies to do business, hold meetings virtually, and hold political campaigns.

Some state institutions, like the courts, are also automated.

The matter now is that ECOWAS members need a strong and widespread digitalization infrastructure for them to enjoy its full benefits.

And while they think about the benefits of digitalization, they should not fail to consider its flip side, which includes cybercrime and loss of jobs and how to fix them.