Kwame Owusu Ansah writes: African Election Irregularities, is Blockchain the Solution?

Election season in Africa can be described as one of the most dreaded seasons on the continent for most young people. For a continent with a third of its population being young, it’s unfortunate its influence on national politics and more especially election outcomes remain very limited.

The recent election in Nigeria and its aftermath is a testament to why most young Africans have lost interest in going out to vote.

Election irregularities in Africa have been a long-standing issue, with allegations of voter fraud, vote tampering, and violence reported in several countries during election seasons. These irregularities erode democracy and undermine the credibility of electoral processes.

But is it a case of an absence of solutions to these issues? Is there no way the integrity and confidence of the electoral system can be restored? With all the advances in technology, shouldn’t Africa be looking at using technology to solve the problem where human effort has failed?

Blockchain technology is a decentralized digital ledger that records transactions securely and transparently. It enables secure, tamper-proof storage and transfer of data without requiring a central authority or intermediary. Blockchain technology is already being used in several industries, including finance, healthcare, and supply chain management, to increase transparency, security, and efficiency. Technology is now being explored as a solution to election fraud and corruption.

Several countries have successfully implemented blockchain technology in their elections, and notable among them are Estonia and South Korea. Estonia is known for its advanced digital infrastructure and has been using blockchain technology for its elections since 2005. The country uses a system called “i-Voting” that allows citizens to cast their votes securely online using blockchain technology.

This blockchain-based voting system has been praised for its security and efficiency, with voter turnout increasing significantly since its implementation. In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea used blockchain technology for its elections, and the system was praised for its transparency and tamper-proof nature. Comparing the success of blockchain technology in these two countries to the African context, it is evident that the technology can provide a solution to election irregularities in the continent.

The use of blockchain technology in African elections has the potential to address many of the challenges facing the continent’s electoral processes. For example, in many African countries, voter identification is a significant challenge due to the lack of reliable identity documents.

Blockchain technology can provide a secure and transparent method of voter identification using digital identities that are linked to biometric data. This ensures that only eligible voters can participate in the election, and that the integrity of the electoral process is maintained.

Additionally, blockchain technology can provide a secure and transparent method of vote counting and result transmission, addressing the challenges of opaque vote counting and vulnerable result transmission which results in rigging across elections on the continent. Each vote can be recorded as a transaction on the blockchain, and the decentralized nature of the technology ensures that no single entity can manipulate the vote count. The results can be recorded as transactions on the blockchain, which can be accessed by authorized personnel, ensuring the integrity of the transmission process.

However, be that as it may, we know the adoption of blockchain technology in African elections may face challenges, such as infrastructure limitations and political will. The implementation of blockchain technology in African elections would require significant investment in digital infrastructure and capacity building to ensure that the technology is accessible to all voters.

But that shouldn’t be a problem, I suppose, as many governments are willing to spend millions of dollars on elections every season. Reports show that the Nigerian INEC budgeted over $200 Million on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) which was used in the recent elections.

The biggest challenge is the political will. The political elite in many African countries often benefit from election irregularities and may be resistant to adopting a technology that enhances the transparency and credibility of the electoral process.

Despite the challenges, there are several steps that African countries can take to prepare for a blockchain-managed election. One of these steps is to invest in digital infrastructure and capacity building to ensure that the technology is accessible to all voters. This would involve the deployment of reliable and affordable digital infrastructure, such as high-speed internet connectivity and mobile devices. Additionally, training and education programs would be required to ensure that voters and election officials are equipped with the necessary skills to use the technology effectively.

Another step that African countries can take to prepare for a blockchain-managed election is to build trust and confidence in the technology. This would involve engaging with stakeholders, such as political parties, civil society organizations, and international observers, to promote the transparency and integrity of the electoral process. Additionally, the establishment of independent oversight mechanisms, such as a blockchain-based election commission, could help build trust and confidence in the technology.

As the adage goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, I believe African leaders need to start taking steps to implement high level technologies in our electioneering systems to restore trust and confidence in them, and it doesn’t have to start with national elections.

It can start with basic district assembly, or parliamentarian elections or we could run pilots in selected elections and locations, analyze and improve the system over time. Moreover, technology does not have to be 100% of the process, but at least 40% to augment the physical voting in order not to disenfranchise people in locations with technology challenges.

Africa has a very young democracy, so there is a lot of learning still to be done. However, the world is moving at a very fast pace and technology is proffering very formidable solutions to several global challenges, and I believe election challenges are one of those which technology can easily fix.

The author, Kwame Owusu Ansah, is a Tech Writer & Founder, Techstripped Africa

Source: citifmonline