Ghana.gov far better than NDC’s E-services platform; it's like comparing a Mercedes to Aboboyaa — Ursula Owusu

“Comparing NDC’s E-services platform to NPP’s Ghana.Gov is like comparing an Aboboyaa (tricycle) to a Mercedes,” Ursula Owusu Ekuful, Minister of Communication and Digitalization said during a press briefing held at the Ministry of Information, Accra on Sunday, February 18.

It comes after the opposition NDC had claimed that the Ghana.Gov project NPP flagbearer and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia claim to have initiated is just an upgrade of the E-service portal launched under the erstwhile NDC/Mahama administration in 2012.

However, according to the minister, the NDC’s own was full of challenges and as such, was disbanded for a new one when NPP took over.

She emphasized that the e-Services Platform and Ghana.gov are two distinct entities, refuting allegations made by the opposition NDC.

"The e-Services platform was deployed in 2012 under the e-Ghana project as a pilot to produce an e-Government Portal to provide relevant government services to citizens and businesses. It had a services component and a payment component.

“The e-Services platform was developed by Messes IPMC at a total cost of about US$547,000 and was then integrated with an e-Payment platform in 2014 to enable online payment for transactions. The ePayment Platform was developed by Messrs AYA Technologies at a total cost of US$267,000. This was exclusive of annual software licensing fees,” the Minister stated distinguishing the two platforms.

The Minister highlighted the distinct features and functionalities of Ghana.gov, emphasizing its role in providing a centralized platform for accessing government services online.

She said one distinctive feature is the Ghana.gov platform helps government in its revenue mobilization efforts stating that the platform has generated an amount of GHS 210 billion since it was introduced.

The Minister underscored the efforts undertaken by the current administration to streamline digital services and improve efficiency in service delivery reiterating government's commitment to bridging the digital divide and ensuring that no citizen is left behind in the quest for digital transformation.