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NPP or NDC? Find out who to vote for with Policy Matters GH

After a road trip through Ghana and dinner with a priest, two Americans have devised a way to help Ghanaians choose which political party their beliefs are more aligned with. Stacey Knott speaks to the creators of Policy Matters GH.

 

From taxes, to health insurance through to where your power should come from, American app developers Matt Schulman and Brennan Weiss have created a ten question survey meant to compare the political views of Ghanaians with those of Ghana's two main political parties, The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The Policy Matters GH creators wanted their non-partisan app to help voters define the differences between the two parties.

The app, free on Android phones, came about after the school friends took a trip across Ghana meeting with various people where they heard views on the upcoming election.

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While travelling they researched what people were interested in, and over dinner with a priest near Kumasi the idea for the app was formed.

They were discussing the election and the passion voters across the country have for positive change.

"This was the “aha” moment when Brennan and I thought of riding this wave of national political passion and creating an app to help people better understand the candidates’ policies. After doing some brief comparative market research, we concluded that a survey combined with an algorithm to analyze users’ answers would be simple, interactive, and informative,” Schulman said.

Back in Accra they got to work on creating Policy Matters GH.

Weiss, a foreign journalist currently based in Accra wrote the content of the app after reading through the NPP and NDC manifestos.

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The technical side was handled by Schulman, who has been travelling the world since May this year.

While exploring the world, he has been working to create localised mobile apps and websites that can add value to lives in many countries.

His work is created from listening to people and what they need, he said.

“During my travels, I really want to spend time doing all that I can to help develop localised educational tools and technological resources that can enhance the lives of citizens in countries around the world.

"As an outsider, I am often very self-conscious about stepping into new places with foreign cultures and naively thinking that I can understand what new apps or tools people desire, ” Schulman told Pulse.com.gh

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The pair are hopeful the app will prove useful in Ghana, and are working with Ghanaian organisations to improve it, Weiss said.

"Although we’ve been in Ghana for some time, we realise there is only so much that we can contribute as Americans. We launched an app that we hope will have some impact, but its success is not possible without contribution from Ghanaians.

"With that in mind, we’re currently working on fostering partnerships with local think tanks and policy experts to make sure the app is overseen and improved by Ghanaians so that it can serve a real purpose beyond our stay in Ghana."

A limited time frame in creating the app meant they could only focus on NPP and NDC, though Weiss said they plan on updating and expanding the app to include all political parties for future elections.

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Over ten questions, Policy Matters GH asks users to rate their level of agreement/disagreement over key policy issues, including taxes, fuel imports, the teacher trainee allowances and NHIS funding.

Once results are calculated the app lists external non-partisan sources that link to more information on the different policies.

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