Gilat Satellite, South Africa is trying to introduce more technology to the election process.
Speaking at the e-government forum as part of the seventh annual African Computing and Telecommunications Summit in Sandton, Gilat Satellite SA's Africa manager, Wayne McDonald, said The way we run elections in Africa is similar to the way we conducted banking transactions 45 years ago.
He noted that it is time the country considers using technology to make democratic elections easier and faster while retaining high security levels. Addressing the issue of security around voting, McDonald said African countries can learn a lot from the way national lotteries are conducted.
McDonald presented the option of using VSAT technology to facilitate e-voting. However, he argued that this may not be cost-effective in connecting all the voter stations together. He added that a hybrid of technologies, including WiFi, could be used to complete VSAT usage.
Forum participants raised some of the potential challenges in the implementation of such a system in their countries. McDonald conceded that it could take time for people to feel comfortable with the idea of e-voting and for it to actually happen. However, if stakeholders put their minds to what solutions may be suitable to their environments and instituted discussions at various forums, a solution will emerge, he said.
Conference delegates also pointed out that implementing technology solutions for the sake of technology is a waste of resources. It is therefore important that citizens' needs and concerns be taken into consideration before programmes are implemented, they said.
Participants agreed that education is key, as once people have knowledge of how technologies can improve their lives, they will be more eager to adopt them. They will also be in a position to challenge their governments where there is a lack of will to change.
The e-government forum discussions will cover issues like the African Internet, open source, ICT clustering and business processes, and enterprise solutions.
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