ELDI (Electronic Development Institute) Awka, Anambra State, has developed a solar-powered electronic voting machine for the 2019 general elections.
Professor Mohammed Haruna (Vice-Chairman of National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure-NASENI) presented the device to the Minister of Science and Technology-Dr. Ogbonaya Onu in Abuja.He told the minister that the innovation was borne out of the request by the Minister to the agency to produce a fraud-free electronic machine for the up-coming general elections.
The machine was a new technology that is cloud-based and collates result using computer-based computing methods.
Professor Haruna said the device is embedded with mechanisms and merits that bypasses ballot snatching, multiple thumb printing, card reader failure and data alteration between polling .
He also explained that the device enables reporting of real-time election results. Further advantages of it is that it has provision for diaspora voting , facial recognition, radio frequency identification device options of voter’s identification in addition to thump print and card reading mechanism.
However, this is one among some of the indigenous African solar innovations coming out of Nigeria and with the passing of time will place the continent on the global technological frontier.