By: Osman A. M
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – Two foreign technological firms have demonstrated their expertise & knowhow during a live demo held at Mansour Hotel in Hargeisa, Somaliland in a bid to clinch the tender for the registration of both civil & electoral exercises that is about to start .
The two companies took the audiences step by step in the stages involved in the registration, a move meant to lure the leadership & the population at large that the firms possess the technological capability of making Somaliland to hold transparent, free & fair elections at par with international standards once they secure the nod of registering the citizens.
Whereas Bitz is a Kenyan incorporated company specializing in IT, X-infotech has its headquarters in Latvia where it was registered. According to their firm profile, both companies have successfully carried electronic registrations of both civil & electoral in a number of countries within Africa, Asia Europe & Australia.
During the live demos the firms’ officials demonstrated to the public the essential stages from the time when a voter is registered till electronically confirming the results as they trickle from different polling stations throughout the country.
Present were Government representatives among them Directors General (DGs) Mr. Abdisamad Omar (Interior) Mohamed Hassan (Foreign) Managing Director for National Commission for Technology Eng. Ali Abdilahi Dahir & his counterpart from state owned TV SLNTV, former ambassador to Ireland as well as former governor for Maroodijeeh, Mr. Mohamed Abdi Daud who also doubles up as the presidential appointed committee tasked with voter registration matters.
First to take the floor after the demo was Mr. Abdilahi Mohamed, a representative of Bitz in the country who explained that the exercise was meant to showcase their expertise to the people of Somaliland. Mr. Abdilahi then introduced Mr. Paul of Bitz and Maris Freimanis of X-infotech as officials with experience spanning for 15 years and have foreseen data of voter registration that enabled countries hold free& fair elections.
Mr. Paul disclosed that the firms have previously overseen transition of electronic data in identification cards (ID’s) & passports of a number of countries, the last being Ireland.
The two officials promised to secure the country a modern electronic register if given the mantle to conduct the exercise in a competitive tender procurement exercise.
