“A government may open the door to opportunity, but if citizens cannot reach the door, the opportunity remains out of their reach.”
Ghana’s digital transformation is a welcome and necessary development. The increasing use of online recruitment and application systems has the potential to reduce bureaucracy, improve record-keeping, minimise human interference and make access to public opportunities more transparent.
However, as someone who regularly interacts with ordinary citizens at the grassroots, I believe we must confront an uncomfortable reality. For many Ghanaians, digitalisation is increasingly becoming a barrier rather than a bridge to opportunity.
This concern is particularly evident in government employment, skills training, apprenticeship programmes, security service recruitment and other social intervention initiatives.
Online access is not necessarily equal access.
The problem is not that these opportunities are being advertised online. The real problem is that online access is not necessarily equal access.
In some communities, electricity remains unreliable. Internet connectivity is poor or unavailable. The cost of mobile data can be burdensome, particularly for unemployed young people. Some otherwise qualified applicants lack the digital skills required to navigate complicated online portals. Others depend on friends, agents or cybercafé operators to complete applications on their behalf.
This dependence can expose applicants to mistakes, misinformation and, in some cases, exploitation.
Even more troubling is the frustration among applicants who believe they have been unfairly screened out or disqualified without adequate explanations. Whether every complaint is justified or not, government cannot afford to ignore the perception that some public application systems are inaccessible, difficult to navigate or unfair.
The consequences go beyond a failed application.
They affect confidence. They affect morale. They affect trust in public institutions and, ultimately, public confidence in government.
As a member of the political party in government and someone who wants to see the government succeed in delivering on its promises to the people of Ghana, I am deeply concerned about this situation. I believe it is both prudent and timely to draw the attention of the party and the government to this important issue so that practical measures can be taken to address the concerns of citizens.
A young person who repeatedly hears about government opportunities but is unable to access or successfully complete the application process may eventually conclude that those opportunities are not meant for people like him or her.
That is a dangerous perception for any government that genuinely wants its policies and programmes to reach the grassroots.
Digitalisation with inclusion.
We must therefore be careful not to confuse digitalisation with inclusion.
A sophisticated online portal may appear efficient from an administrator’s desk, but that efficiency means little if a qualified applicant in an underserved community cannot successfully complete an application.
I am not, by any means, suggesting that Ghana should abandon digitalisation. On the contrary, we must continue to embrace technology and modernise the way government delivers services.
But digital transformation must be accompanied by human accessibility. This is where a hybrid approach becomes necessary.
Application support centres
Government should consider establishing accessible application support centres at the district and community levels, particularly during major recruitment and social intervention exercises. Clear and simple guidance should be provided to applicants. Help desks and complaint mechanisms should be strengthened, and applicants should have reasonable opportunities to correct genuine errors where appropriate.
Where applications are rejected or candidates are disqualified, there should, as far as practicable, be clear explanations to enable applicants to understand the reasons for the decision.
Digital-literacy support should also form part of major employment, training and skills-development programmes, especially where the application process is entirely or predominantly online.
Most importantly, policymakers must listen to the people who actually use these systems.
The question should not simply be “How many people applied online?” We should also ask:
“How many eligible people could not apply, and why?”
That question matters.
Digitalisation was intended to bring government closer to the citizen. We must ensure that it does not inadvertently place government opportunities further out of reach for the very people those opportunities are intended to serve.
Technology should open more doors, not quietly close them.
Review of the online-only or digital-first approach
The time has therefore come for a serious review of the online-only or digital-first approach to accessing certain public opportunities. We can preserve the efficiency, transparency and convenience that digitalisation offers while restoring the human support necessary to ensure that no qualified Ghanaian is excluded simply because of where they live, the reliability of their electricity supply, the quality of their internet connection, the cost of data or their level of digital literacy.
This is not a rejection of digitalisation.
It is a call for people-centred digitalisation.
Technology must serve the people, not become another obstacle standing between citizens and the opportunities created for them.
As I conclude, I wish to commend the government for its efforts to bring governance, employment opportunities and social interventions closer to Ghanaians, particularly the youth. These efforts are important and deserve support.
But good intentions must be matched with systems that ordinary citizens can actually access.
If we truly want to build an inclusive digital Ghana, then no young person should be denied a fair opportunity simply because he or she cannot navigate a digital platform.
Let us make digitalisation a bridge to opportunity for every Ghanaian, regardless of location, economic circumstances or level of digital literacy.
Long live Ghana!
Long live Ho Central Constituency!
DANIEL YAO AGBEZUDOR
Deputy Constituency Secretary Hopeful
0243851542