By Daniel Bampoe
Policy think tank IMANI Africa has escalated its long-standing critique of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) by formally petitioning the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), alleging gross mismanagement and illegal disposal of sensitive electoral equipment.
At the heart of IMANI’s petition is the EC’s disposal of tens of thousands of components from the Biometric Voter Management System (BVMS)—including high-value laptops, fingerprint scanners, cameras, and biometric verification devices.
According to IMANI, many of the discarded items, some costing upwards of $3,000 each, were still in good condition and could have been repurposed for other state institutions or sold through transparent public tender.
In a document signed by its president, Franklin Cudjoe, IMANI accuses the EC of “misappropriation, wastage, and misuse” of public funds, arguing that the disposal process was conducted without public knowledge and in violation of the Public Procurement Act.
The group contends that the lack of transparency raises serious suspicions of corruption and conflict of interest.
“What makes this case more alarming,” the petition states, “is that some of the disposed devices were traced to a local electronic recycling facility in Accra—Electro Recycling Ghana—without any evidence that the sensitive biometric data stored on these machines had been professionally wiped.”
IMANI warns that the improper handling of devices containing voter biometric data and polling records could leave Ghana vulnerable to data breaches and electoral fraud.
The think tank insists that none of the companies involved in the disposal process held certification for secure data destruction, posing a national security and privacy risk.
This latest petition follows a turbulent history between IMANI and the EC, dating back to the Commission’s controversial decision in 2020 to replace the existing voter registration system.
At the time, IMANI challenged the rationale for acquiring a new BVMS, insisting that the then-existing system had been upgraded in 2018 and 2019 and remained functional.
The EC, however, argued the technology was outdated and needed to be overhauled ahead of the 2020 general elections.
Franklin Cudjoe has now suggested that the EC’s conduct during that period was deliberately misleading, with claims that the BVMS infrastructure was “obsolete” being used as a pretext to justify fresh procurement—potentially to the benefit of undisclosed parties.
As a further step, IMANI has instructed its legal team to explore a referral to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for a corruption risk assessment into the EC’s procurement and disposal processes.
“We are dealing with an institution at the heart of our democratic framework,” said Cudjoe in a statement.
“If the Electoral Commission can dispose of sensitive equipment in secret and risk compromising citizens’ data, what assurance do we have that other aspects of our electoral system are secure?”
CHRAJ has acknowledged receipt of the petition and is expected to conduct a preliminary review.
However, the outcome could determine whether a full investigation into the EC’s procurement and asset management practices will be launched.
