Google Goes Digital With Elections

In line with its mission to improve internet usage, Google Ghana has been engaged in election related activities aimed at informing and educating people.
Through this initiative, Google Ghana has been engaging the media and civil society to use the internet and Google products to access information and make it relevant and understandable for Ghanaians.
In an interview with CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE, Google Ghana Country Manager, Estelle Akofio-Sowah said, “Google is committed to democracy and that means helping citizens get the right information and political parties to get their information across.”
She noted that going digital this year has seen most of the political party candidates using Google plus, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to actively engage and reach citizens with their message via the internet.
“There is room for improvement, but all in all this year has been different in terms of the party’s engagements on the internet,” said Ms Akofio-Sowah
Last month Google hosted hundreds of people made up of developers, civil society and political parties to the “Elections Going Digital” event, which was aimed at promoting successful and transparent elections.
Ms Akofio-Sowah said the event created an atmosphere to share ideas related to elections, as well as ensure that Ghanaians find relevant election information.
She noted that going forward, Google Ghana would continue to work with its partners and the developer community to build more relevant internet applications.
As part of the programme, Google has launched the Ghana Election Hub (www.google.com.gh/election), which serves as a one stop place for all information on the elections.
Google also worked with the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and the Multimedia Group to stream the presidential and vice presidential debates live on YouTube.