E-Government
E-Government is also known by different terms such as electronic government, electronic governance, digital government, online government, e-Gov, etc. (Wirtz & Daiser, 2017). There are many definitions for the term e-Government and the differences reflect the priorities in the government strategies. E-Government is the use of information and communication technology in the transformation of government; primarily aiming to the improvement of accessibility, effectiveness, and responsibility. It is based on the diffusion of information and information policy development. Electronic government guides to increasing citizens' participation and active citizens' development affecting the mechanisms of democracy” (Spirakis, Spiraki and Nikolopoulos 2010:75).
Moreover, the term “e-Government”, as used by the OECD e-Government Project, applies to the use of ICT as a tool to achieve better government. Therefore, e-Government is not about business as usual, but should instead focus on using ICT to transform the structures, operations and, most importantly, the culture of government. The OECD report highlights that e-Government is an important component in terms of overall reform agendas because it serves as a tool for reform; renews interest in public management reform; highlights internal consistencies; and underscores commitment to good governance objectives (OECD, 2003). World Bank, (2010) defines e-Government as the government-owned or operated systems of information and communication technologies that transform relations with citizens, the private sector and/or other government agencies to promote citizens’ empowerment, improve service delivery, strengthen accountability, increase transparency, or improve government efficiency (Ndou, 2004).
For purposes of this study, e-Government is defined as a way for the Eswatini government ministries to use ICT to provide evidence of Eswatini government ministries' business activities. E-Government allows networking capacity with speed, precision, and simplicity, which are desirable features for all government operations.