Volta Suffers Biometric Machines Break Down

By Gifty Arthur

Reports emanating from the Volta Region indicate that a vast majority of the Biometric Registration machines in the region have broken down.

The massive breakdown is said to have delayed the registration process for some days.

A Joy FM reporter, Ivy Sebordzi, who broke the news on the station, has confirmed the development to The Herald, describing it as worrying as it had stalled the process, especially in southern Volta where she was reporting from.

The affected areas, according to her, are Tsiyinu, Kutsima in the Afife Zone, Court Yard and Mite Junior Secondary School (JSH) at Dzodze all in the Ketu South District of the region.

The incident comes in the wake of reports that the non-availability of electricity in some remote parts of the country, especially the Volta Region is also negatively affecting the exercise. The biometric equipment are to be charged with electricity, hence many areas without power have experienced one difficulty or the other in having the equipment powered for the process.

In the case of the broken down machines, the reporter said the situation had badly affected the exercise with electorates having to wait sometimes for four days because there were no technicians to repair them in the region, hence the dysfunctional machines had to be carried to Accra.

She revealed that some generators provided by officers of the Electoral Commission (EC) were also not functioning properly posing additional challenge to the exercise when there is power failure.

Aside the faulty machines and power failures, she noted that the low level of education in the region coupled with inadequate publicity have also contributed to potential voters having difficulties locating their exact registration centers to register.

Meanwhile in a telephone interview with the Regional Director of the EC, Madam Lawrencia Kpakpata, she confirmed the development but indicated that it was not new, adding it had been happening across the country.

She said in many cases, it was not the entire machines that broke down but the printers due to the pressure on them daily.

She said that the EC was in firm control of the situation, adding that as and when the machines break down, they did their best to solve the problem to enable every qualified voter to register before the stipulated time.

On the information that the broken down machines could only be sent to Accra to be fixed, Madam Kpakpata said that was not entirely true because there had been some repairs at the regional capital Ho, as well as Accra.

She explained that the machines were sent to Accra for repairs because the EC, upon purchasing the machines, agreed with the supplier that it would not open them whenever they broke down, but would rather submit them to be repaired by the suppliers.