Biometrics, High-Tech Can’t Stop Election Fraud In Africa

Written by Dana Sanchez

34 SHARES Share Tweet

Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Democratic Republic of Congo have all adopted fingerprint technology to help prevent election fraud, according to a TVCNews video. Most of these countries have a history of bloated voter registration and disputes over election results.

But as useful as the technology could be to election administration, biometrics in particular comes with risks, said Kwadwo Afari Gyan, chairman of the Ghana Electoral Commission.

The problems start at the tender process, and they continue with issues of maintenance and support in the field, storage, preservation and security of data, Gyan said.

The European Union has funded most of the biometric election projects in Africa over the years and intends strengthening its participation in election monitoring, according to the video.