A case Study of an African e-Government/e-Governance Development

Abstract

It is a widely held belief, that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a powerful and timely source of development aid. A development aid which could be misunderstood, especially if its limitations are not taken into consideration in its planning. When it comes to the use of ICTs for good governance, the literature has very little to say on successes and failures of e-Government applications resulting in e-Governance efficiency and effectiveness in developing and transitional countries.This paper studied Ghana's e-Government/e-Governance profile since the adoption of its ICT4AD Policy, 2003. The method used in this study was observation and content analysis of different government departmental websites and documents from development partners such as The World Bank and the United Nations amongst others. The most quoted source is the 2014 edition of the United Nations E-Government Survey, the latest in the research by the Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), as well as by many valued external experts, researchers and contributors from other organizations [34]. Another sampling used for this paper involved the choice of interviewing individuals who are most advantageously placed or in the best position to provide the information required.Findings indicated that there is a demand for online or e-Government services in Ghana; indeed, a handful of the Ghana Government departments are utilizing websites to provide certain government services to the citizens. However, since internet connectivity is not available to a majority of citizens, one can safely conclude that e-Government/e-Governance presence is somehow stunted. It is also glaringly clear that apart from infrastructural deficit (inadequate broadband connectivity), there is weakness in the enforcement of policy regime, and extremely weak ICT skills capability. It is therefore suggested that the Government of Ghana assists its citizens with available, accessible, and affordable internet services through capacity building, with a dynamic regulatory body and encouragement to use mobile technology instead of total reliance on computers.The value and implications of this study, since the author believes that it is the most up to date and comprehensive study of the country's level of ICT readiness for the delivery of government services on --line, suggest that an understanding of the current status of e-Government/e-Governance in Ghana can help policy makers recognise the importance of Ghana's future growth by pursuing ICT development of both public and private sector organisations with emphasis on mobile telephony.