Joseph Anokye

Joseph Anokye is a Ghanaian geodetic engineer and technology manager. He has worked with various organizations, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the United States as a telecommunications service manager. He is a member of the New Patriotic Party and the current head of the National Communications Authority of Ghana.[1]

Joseph Anokye
Head of National Communications Authority
PresidentNana Akuffo-Addo
Preceded byWilliam Matthew Tevie
Personal details
BornGhana
NationalityGhanaian
Political partyNew Patriotic Party
Alma materKwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
University of Maryland University College
OccupationCivil servant
ProfessionGeodetic engineer

Early life and education

Anokye attended the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi and earned a degree in geodetic engineering. He moved to the United States where he enrolled at the University of Maryland University College and obtained a Master of Business Administration degree.[2]

Working life

Throughout his working life, Anokye has been involved in the development of platforms for improving the telecommunication capabilities of organizations and countries.[3] He has worked with several Ghanaian companies, including Volta River Authority, Ghana Telecom, Ghana Commercial Bank and Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.[3] Internationally, he helped in the initiation and development of internet services in Togo, Nigeria, The Gambia and other locations.[3][4]


Work at NASA

Anokye was hired at NASA in September 1997 and was stationed at the Goddard Space Flight Center.[4][5] He was a team member of the technical network engineers who managed the authority's Global Mission Telecommunication Wide Area Network.[6] He later managed the secure system that enabled the transfer of data, voice, and video between vehicles, equipment and base stations.[2] He also collaborated with engineers from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the German Space Operations Centre, and the Canadian Space Agency on various space exploration and information transfer activities.[5]

Return to Ghana

In February 2016, he returned to Ghana after working with NASA for eighteen years.[4][5] He was appointed the Director of Technology for the New Patriotic Party.[7] It was during this time that he developed software and technology platforms that allowed for the quick and correct tallying of the election results from all 275 parliamentary constituencies.[4] The systems allowed parties to accurately predict the outcome of the 2016 Ghanaian general elections eight hours after polls were closed.[6][8] The predictions were published days ahead of the official tabulation by the Electoral Commission of Ghana.[7]

Hacking allegations

After the 2016 general elections in Ghana, several media houses, political agents and commentators expressed concerns about the tallying of the election results. These suspicions were based on comments made by the chairperson of Ghana's election commission, Charlotte Osei. The chairperson announced to the country that the commission's electronic vote transmission system had been hacked into. She asserted that due to the hack the final results could be compromised.[9] Based on what Anokye had been doing for the New Patriotic Party, certain sections of the Ghanaian public believed that he was at the heart of the hacking allegation.[10][11] Seven months after the elections, the People's National Convention revealed plans to formally petition the right authorities to investigate the claims of the electoral commission chair. Some opposition political party members believed that the unwillingness by the New Patriotic Party to investigate the issue was because the party had benefited from any hacking that had gone on.[9] The allegations against Anokye have not been proven; some Ghanaians believe that the whole allegation was being used as a coverup to the election loss of the National Democratic Congress.[11][12]

Head of NCA

In January 2017, Nana Akufo-Addo, who had just been sworn in as President of Ghana, appointed Anokye as acting Director general of the National Communications Authority.[2][13][14] He replaced William Matthew Tevie, whose term as director general had ended.[13] His appointment was welcomed by several players in the communication sector of Ghana, including the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications.[15] His position as the head of the authority gives him an automatic seat on the National Communications Authority Board.[16] Upon becoming the head of the authority, Anokye embarked on sanitizing the Ghanaian airwaves by making sure media houses operate within the stipulated guidelines.[17][18] In September 2017, the authority sanctioned 131 media houses, threatening to close some of them due to violations.[19][20] As head of the authority, Anokye reports to the Minister of Communication.[21]

Deportation

In August 2017, Peter Mac Manu and Joseph Anokye, along with a Canadian and an American, were deported from Kenya by the officials of the country.[22] Anokye and the others were part of an observation team sent by the Democratic Union of Africa to monitor the 2017 Kenyan general election.[22] A spokesman of the governing party described the deportees as electoral mercenaries who were brought to Kenya to manipulate the outcome of the elections.[23] The opposition National Super Alliance opposed deportation and claimed that the team was in Kenya to advise them on electronic data transfer.[22][24] It is believed that Anokye had been introduced to Raila Odinga by President Akuffo-Addo to help the opposition with their collation.[25][8] The deportations caused bilateral tensions between the two countries.[22][26] Various views were expressed for and against the actions of the Kenyan authorities.[27]

See also

References
  1. "Joe Anokye appointed acting Director General of NCA". www.computersgh.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  2. "Mr. Joe Anokye » National Communications Authority". nca.org.gh. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  3. "Nana Addo appoints Joe Anokye as acting NCA Head |". citifmonline.com. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  4. Frimpong, Enoch Darfah. "How Joe Anokye helped NPP to tally election results ahead of EC - Graphic Online". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  5. "NASA's Joe Anokye appointed Acting NCA Boss - Business World Ghana". www.businessworldghana.com. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  6. "Akufo-Addo's Government: NASA's Joe Anokye for Communications Minister?". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  7. Taylor, Mildred Europa. "NPP Gov"t: Akufo-Addo appoints Joe Anokye as new NCA boss". Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  8. "Meet The Ghanaian IT Specialist Who Was To Guard NASA Votes From The 'Clouds' | The Informer KE". The Informer KE. 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  9. "WHO HACKED INTO EC DATABASE?". The Republic. 2017-08-14. Archived from the original on 2017-11-18. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  10. "How To Lose An Election The 2016 Elections: A Desktop Review Of The Performance Of The NDC - Daily Guide Africa". dailyguideafrica.com. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  11. Adu, Kwasi. "How To Lose An Election The 2016 Elections: A Desktop Review Of The Performance Of The Ndc". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  12. "Did IT failure cause NDC's defeat in Election 2016?". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  13. "Nana Addo appoints Joseph Anokye as Director General of NCA - 3News". 3News. 2017-01-24. Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  14. "Acting Director-General of NCA, Joseph Anokye | 233 Live News". 233 Live News. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  15. "Telecoms Chamber congratulates Joe Anokye as new NCA boss". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  16. "Ghana: National Communications Authority Board Inaugurated in Accra".
  17. Asempah, Isaac. "NCA Boss Can Shutdown Radio Stations During Elections-Brogya Genfi". Happy FM. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  18. "Fined stations face shut-down after 30-day notice – NCA |". citifmonline.com. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  19. "List of radio stations closed down, fined by NCA |". citifmonline.com. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  20. Online, Peace FM. "NCA To Shut Down Another Popular Radio Station". Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  21. "Minister visits NCA - Today Newspaper". Today Newspaper. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  22. "Director General of NCA Joe Anokye also deported from Kenya - Ghananewsonline". Ghananewsonline. 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  23. "How NPP, Mac Manu and Joe Anokye Tried To Steal Kenya Election For Raila odinga But Failed - GhanaPoliticsOnline". ghanapoliticsonline.com. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  24. "JOE ANOKYE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF NCA ALSO DEPORTED FROM KENYA - GhanaPoliticsOnline". ghanapoliticsonline.com. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  25. "Raila tallying centre to get results 8 hrs after voting". The Star, Kenya. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  26. "Mac Manu deported for allegedly meddling in Kenya election". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  27. Mubarik, Abu. "Diplomatic Row? Kenya had right to deport Mac Manu from country, Antwi Danso says". Retrieved 2017-11-17.
Political offices
Preceded by
William Matthew Tevie		 Head, NCA
2017–		 Incumbent
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