We are taking steps to own our systems - EC

The Electoral Commission (EC) on Tuesday said it is taking steps to own its Information Technology Systems and Biometric Data Centre instead of leaving them to be managed by STL, an information technology company.

The move would enable the EC to have full control of its systems and reduce the monies being paid to an outsource company to maintain them at the cost of four million dollars annually.

Mrs Jean Mensa, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, said this when she led a team of Commissioners of the EC to pay a courtesy call on the Management of the Western Publication in Accra.

Included in the team were her two deputies - Mr Samuel Tettey, in-charge of Operations, and Dr Eric Bossman Asare, in-charge of Corporate Services.

The EC's Delegation was received jointly by Mr Kwame Blay, the Chief Executive Officer of Daily Guide Newspaper, Mr Fortune Alimi, the Editor, Mr William Yaw Owusu, an Editor and Alhaji A.R. Gomda, Chief News Editor.

Mrs Mensah said the Commission had commenced recruitment processes to engage competent personnel in that field to manage the data centre.

She stated that the EC’s new administration, upon assumption of office, met a proposal of 56 million dollars to take care of its IT infrastructure but upon feasibility studies and recommendations, they discontinued with it.

“The EC invited a consultant from Canada who was engaged to design the IT infrastructure to conduct audit and make recommendations. At the end he said it was not finally wise to pursue that proposal,” she said.

“Our staffs were not in the know, it was only our vendors who had the details and operated the system. With these steps it will create the credibility of our system.“

Touching the call by former President John Mahama to investigate the hacking allegations, Mr Tettey, on his part, said the Commission was not technically and logistically prepared for the electronic transmission of results and so did not use that system at all.

He said the electronic transmission was an additional measure to ensure transparency but not the main mode of transmitting results.