The Vice President of the Republic, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia Saturday night launched the digitalized membership management systems for the USA branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The system is a digital database structure that captures details of members of the USA-NPP chapters and the branch.
Commending the NPP-USA executives on a virtual meeting and launch of the membership management system, Dr Bawumia said the digital system would improve decision making process of the branch as well as increase engagement between members.
The Veep urged other branches of the NPP in the diaspora to study the USA branch models and replicate same to enhance their operations and engagement.
“The use of digital initiatives and technology is the surest way of getting optimum results and the decision by the USA branch to use this to manage its membership is the way to go for proper management of its activities”, Dr Bawumia stated.
BRANCH CHAIRPERSON:
Madam Obaa Yaa, Chairperson of the USA-NPP branch in her remarks on the theme ‘Making Technology Work for us’ said the USA branch of the party was happy for the particular interest shown in their management systems by the Vice President of Ghana.
She noted that the branch has since 2009 tried with different models how to get a digital database for its membership across the 25 chapters in the USA.
“The time was now ripe for us to perfect what we started almost 14 years ago so as to test the resilience of the internal electoral system and to allow for the roll out of same on a larger scale for the party”, the Chairperson posited.
Obaa Yaa commended efforts of all pioneering members and chairpersons including Dr Kofi Boateng whose lead role and diligence, she intimated ensured the party comes up with the membership management system.
GUEST SPEAKER:
Speaking on the metamorphosis of the digital process in the party for elections, Joe Anokye, Chief Executive Officer of the National Communications Authority (NCA) said the project was initiated by the USA branch after the 2008 elections which the party lost to the NDC.
He noted that the team comprising of about 4 members and other support groups had to develop software for the NPP to collate its internal elections.
The system was fine tuned for the subsequent general elections of 2012 but said 2016 was where it was fully approved by the party’s presidential candidate to be rolled out fully with the party recruiting IT persons in constituency and regional levels with equipment to collate elections hours after numbers were declared at polling stations.
He therefore noted that the idea by the USA-NPP to embrace technology in the management of its membership was a laudable one, urging that the model should be replicated across the party from polling stations to the national level.
Source:MICHAEL OFOSU-AFRIYIE, KUMASI.
