This study investigated the extent and benefits of Africa's broadband connectivity, its impact on e-government and economic growth, and the challenges and best practices for addressing them. Studies... Show More

This study investigated the extent and benefits of Africa's broadband connectivity, its impact on e-government and economic growth, and the challenges and best practices for addressing them. Studies by the UN and ITU over the years have revealed Africa lags behind in the global broadband connectivity and e-government diffusion. The Connect Africa summit held in 2007 by the ITU and its partners came out with five specific goals to connect the continent and help improve its economy. This study reviewed the Connect Africa Outcomes Report, and analyzed the publications of three independent studies conducted by: a) the ITU, b) the World Bank and the African Development Bank, and c) Informa Telecoms and Media. The findings reveal that Africa has made substantial progress in international connectivity and mobile broadband penetration. Additionally, broadband connectivity has contributed toward some improvements in e-government initiatives and economic growth. The study concludes with recommendations to address the existing challenges to consolidate the gains made.

E-government policy initiatives for implementing citizen-centric integrated interoperable (CII) e-government services have gained international validity by governments worldwide. Despite extensive... Show More

E-government policy initiatives for implementing citizen-centric integrated interoperable (CII) e-government services have gained international validity by governments worldwide. Despite extensive deliberations in e-government literature, however, successfully implementing strategic, institutional, and technological changes required by citizen-centric (vis-à-vis government-centric) e-government remains an unresolved theoretical and pragmatic conundrum. CII e-government systems are characterized by greater diversity in stakeholders, processes, technologies, applications, and big data, requiring greater cross-agency collaboration and process integration/standardization. Drawing from e-government interoperability and governance literatures, the authors examined the governance role in facilitating CII e-government implementation. The authors performed website and policy analyses of a successful implementation of Saudi Ministry portal, which exemplifies CII e-services. Results showed that government's earlier disconnected websites had not facilitated cross-agency information sharing required for citizen-centric e-government development. However, the authors found evidence that both e-government interoperability policy framework and collaborative governance had contributed to overcoming the implementation challenges and delivering CII e-government services to its diverse stakeholders.

Since the 1990s e-government has been a leading feature of public sector reform in Malaysia. As elsewhere around the world, at the core Malaysia's e-government agenda is the desire to reinvent... Show More

Since the 1990s e-government has been a leading feature of public sector reform in Malaysia. As elsewhere around the world, at the core Malaysia's e-government agenda is the desire to reinvent governance and service delivery so as to realize national developmental goals. Variety of e-initiatives undertaken and implemented over the past decades has improved the nation's e-profile and readiness. These programs have also brought about profound changes to the mode of service delivery and the nature of interactions between the government and citizens and other stakeholders. The paper demonstrates the current trends in e-government by focusing on some most recent initiatives and their roles in modifying governance and service delivery systems thereby producing benefits of efficiency, improved access and convenience, among others. It argues that while Malaysia has made significant inroads in e-services and is ahead of most developing countries, yet progress remains unsatisfactory when compared with regional and world leaders. The paper sheds lights on current impediments of e-government in Malaysia and their implications.

Globally, governments are attempting to transform their societies with the widespread use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Public agencies consider ICTs as powerful tools to... Show More

Globally, governments are attempting to transform their societies with the widespread use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Public agencies consider ICTs as powerful tools to deliver services to citizens and encourage engagement. Debate surrounds issues of e-government and how it can be used to transform service delivery and engagement to citizens. For developing countries research indicates that most of these attempts can be explained as e-government versus e-governance. This article examines initiatives by the Housing Development Corporation in Trinidad and Tobago to provide service delivery to citizens and encourage their participation through electronic means. It also evaluates the effects of the agency's initiatives to citizens and its ability to interact with them. Using content analysis of the agency's website and survey interviews, the study examines four categories taken from two research questions and suggests the extent to which these efforts signal the development of e-government practices by this agency.

Governments around the world are using e-government to improve their modes of governance and the delivery of public services to citizens. Similarly, almost all countries are assessed and ranked by... Show More

Governments around the world are using e-government to improve their modes of governance and the delivery of public services to citizens. Similarly, almost all countries are assessed and ranked by international organizations (such as the United Nations) on their level of e-government development. This paper examines Nigeria's e-government development rankings in light of the government's efforts to develop the country's infrastructure and human capital. While Nigeria is one of the richest country in Africa and has the one of the fastest growing ICT market in the continent, it is ranked low in Africa and globally in terms of e-government provision of public services to its citizens. The analysis suggests that more efforts should be made by the government to address the barriers to effective deployment of e-government initiatives in Nigeria.