Islamic Scholar Offers Gov’t Strategies to Win the Fight Against Corruption
Dr. Baafi Advocates for IT Solutions to Curb Corruption in Ghana
- Dr. Baafi recommends a centralized, web-based platform for open and transparent bidding processes
- Encourages the use of mobile money, online banking, and digital wallets
- Suggests implementing audit trails and AI-driven bid evaluations
The Director of Hybrid Leading-Edge Ltd. Co., Dr. Sheikh Abdul-Muhsin Baafi, has urged the government to leverage Information Technology (IT) in the fight against corruption.
He based his call on the numerous challenges Ghana currently faces in combating corruption and managing national data.
Dr. Baafi, who is also an Islamic scholar, asserted that the advent and proliferation of IT present a unique opportunity to address these issues effectively.
As part of his recommendations, he highlighted the implementation of an Electronic Procurement System as a crucial IT tool.
In this regard, he advised the government to adopt a centralized, web-based e-procurement platform.
“The platform should facilitate open bidding processes where all tenders are published online with clear specifications and evaluation criteria,” he stated.
Dr. Baafi also recommended key measures such as Audit Trails, Automated Evaluation, Supplier Databases, and Integration with Financial Systems.
Explaining Audit Trails, he emphasized that every transaction should be recorded, creating an auditable trail that can be easily reviewed.
Regarding Automated Evaluation, Dr. Baafi urged the government to use software to automate the evaluation of bids, minimizing human bias.
The IT expert and Islamic scholar stressed that implementing these recommendations would significantly reduce collusion, bribery, and inflated contracts.
Additionally, he advocated for the adoption of digital payment systems by promoting mobile money, online banking, and digital wallets for government transactions as effective measures against corruption.
“I recommend that digital payments be gradually mandated for public services, such as utility bill payments, taxes, and government fees.
All digital transactions should be recorded and made traceable, making it easier to detect suspicious activities.
The government should also reduce its reliance on cash, which is a major facilitator of corruption.
This can be achieved by ensuring that all government salary payments are made digitally and that all government purchases are paid through bank accounts,” he concluded.
