The Akufo Addo administration today launched a mobile application to track potential Covid-19 patients “GH Covid-19 Tracker” with a musical concert featuring veteran Musician Lucky Mensah, Shatta Wale, among others.
The catch, however, is that the App is a mere dummy as the only hosts of such Apps- Apple and Google say they are not ready for such Covid-19 applications because they are yet to complete interfaces for such tracking app.
It is therefore unclear how the Ministry of Communications is expecting to host such an application.
“Government holds a virtual concert. To launch a covid-19 tracker app. Yet, Apple and Google, virtually the only channels through which apps can reach the population, have made it clear that they won’t allow any Covid apps for a while until they complete design, review and implementation of a “recognised entities” policy, which will lay out the guidelines for prequalified entities to publish carefully vetted apps through their app stores,” Bright Simmons wrote on his social media page in response to the pomp and pageantry used to launch the application.
Bright Simmons is an expert in the field of applications, having developed an application himself (Mpedigree) to track counterfeit medications in Africa. Bright Simmons is also a founding member of the renowned policy think-tank IMANI-Africa.
Mr. Simmons asks: “Of course, that they have their own app coming out for the covid-tracking has no small a part to play here. So why would Government of Ghana hold a virtual concert to launch an app that can’t be accessed nor used?”
According to the Communications Ministry, the App was developed to answer questions on Covid-19, , helps Ghanaians check for coronavirus symptoms and also help report suspected cases.