Ananse Identification Platform launched

Mr Akwasi Oppong-Fosu, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, has said Ghana needed critical tools like science, technology and innovation to enable it address its unique needs.

He said relying on foreign technological solutions that were not design to address the country’s peculiar needs was not the best.

He said that Ghana had unique challenges that could only be properly addressed with indigenous but world class technology capable of competing with other countries worldwide otherwise “we will be left to adopt costly foreign technologies that were not designed or developed based on the country’s conditions.

Mr Oppong-Fosu, launching “Ananse Platform”, a Ghanaian innovation and design in Accra, said there was no country that had developed without developing some indigenous technologies to address its unique needs and commended the Innovators, SoftMasters Company Limited for the innovation.

Ananse Platform is an integrated biometric registration, GPS Location, Satellite Navigation and Mobile Processing devise.

It has a mobile device called “AnanseTab” for capturing a person’s biometric data and addresses like residence and employment, with maps and GPS Coordinates of the location, and satellite navigation which provides direction to the addresses.

The company also has SikaTab for mobile payment processing as well as Ananse Managed Service.

Mr Oppong-Fosu said for any country to develop it must have the capacity to develop technologies it needed for addressing its unique challenges and Ghana is not an exception to that rule.

“Unfortunately, in our country, one of the areas you hear the least about is our investment, promotion, and achievements in science, technology and innovation, an area that is critical to the development of all modern economies.

“Day-in- and day out, our businesses and institutions are forced to adopt technological products that may address to some extent our challenges, but are unable to provide us the solution we seek. In essence, we are forced to make do with what is available,” he added.

The Minister said “the haphazard manner we build our properties without first registering and obtaining building permits complicate the country’s addressing and identification efforts thus making it difficult for foreign designed solutions to be used in a cost effective manner”.

Dr Benjamin Adu, Chief Executive Officer, SoftMasters Company Limited, said the solution is another way of helping individuals, businesses and government to identify people and their property for national development.

He said Ananse was the base of innovation and talents and stressed the need to develop the skills, talents and innovations to solve the technological needs of the country.

He said his company developed Biometric identification System which is currently being used by the Drivers Vehicles and Licensing Authority to register its clients.

“Since biometric registration system is incomplete without the address system, we researched further to see how to solve that issue and as a result we came with this new technology by using GPS coordinators and maps, satellite navigation to direct one to specific locations,” he added.

Ms Dorothy Gordon, Director-General of Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, commended Dr Adu for his selfless and dedication to his country.

She said somebody with PhD in Electrical Engineering could have decided to remain outside to earn more money for himself but he decided to come home and build a team of SoftMasters to look at the problems of Ghanaians and come up with solutions.

“It about time we as a country move from consuming other peoples’ solutions and develop our own solutions to suit our needs.

“The Ananse Identification Platform has come at the right time to help the country to resolve its addresses problems. Ananse will also help solve the brain power by putting technology at the heart of our development,” she added.

Ms Gordon said the launch should be an inspiration to all to think about what to do to solve Ghana’s problems and by talking but by action.

She commended the innovators for building open software and open hardware to make it possible for other developers to add to the data they had already collected and also making it easier for financial institutions to freely give out loans to their clients.