Challenges and opportunities of E-Government practices in Eritrea (East Africa)

Abstract: Globalization in its current instantiation is the fusion of capitalism and advanced technologies, also called techno-capital. The ignition to electronic technology, improvement in the field of communication know-how and the rapid globalization process enabled the e-government processes more in accelerate pace. any entities of the society started receiving benefits from the egovernment practices like business, citizens, employees and government agencies. !-government can augment the speed and competence of operations by streamlining processes, lowering costs, improving research capabilities, documentation and record keeping. This paper discusses the egovernment trends in "frica, more specifically !ritrea, !ast "frican country# it has the greater potential in implementing e-government practices. This paper also discusses the challenges and opportunities of e-government tendency in !ritrea. Key Words: !-government, !-participation, !ritrea, !-development. Authors: $. %hintha &am &undar, 'aculty of (anking and 'inance, %ollege of (usiness and !conomics, !ritrea, !ast "frica. )corresponding author* !-mail+ samsundarchintha,gmail.com , .. obile no+ ---./$-0$12//0

rs. 3amsi 4rasad, 'aculty of "ccounting, %ollege of (usiness and !conomics, !ritrea, !ast "frica. !-mail+ mekollipara,gmail.com , obile no+ ---./$-0$5$..6

! "ntroduction The detonation to digital technology, the considerable improvements in communication and information technologies and the imposed Global competition and insurgence the way business is performed and also the way organizations compete. 7nowledge is identified as the most important factor, while learning, which emerges through cooperation, together with the increased reliability
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and trust, is the most important process )8undvall and 9ohnson, $//5*. The competitive survival and ongoing nourishment of an organization primarily depend on its ability to redefine and adopt continuous goals, purposes and its way of doing things ) alhotra, .--$*. These learning are suggesting that private and public sectors have to reinvest themselves through continuous innovation in order to sustain and to achieve strategic competitive goals. The e:isting literature highlights the importance of information and communication technology );%T* e<uipment for increasing operational efficiency, cost reduction, improved <uality services, convenience, innovation and learning in private and public sectors of the economies. The initiatives of Government agencies and various departments to use ;%T e<uipment and its applications, internet and mobile devices to enhance and to promote good governance, building social relationships, new partnerships with in civil society are identified as !-Government initiatives. 8ike !-commerce, !-Government focuses on introducing technological innovation as well as Government reinvention practices. ;t represents a tremendous impetus to move forward in the .$st century with increase <uality, cost based government services and enhanced relationship between citizens and government )'ang, .--.*. !-government can augment the speed and competence of operations by streamlining processes, lowering costs, improving research capabilities, documentation and record keeping ) ohan, =atar et.al, .-$-*. >n the "frican continent, where 5-? of the adult population is illiterate, where 4% penetration is the lowest in the world with ... per $-- inhabitants, where the internet tariffs are the highest in the world )@ayehrirad 7itaw, .--1*. The aim of this paper is to identify and analyze the primary issues, opportunities and challenges that !-government initiatives present for the country !ritrea, !ast "frica. E-Government #iterature $evie% The arrival of internet, digital technology, the development and use of !-%ommerce and !-(usiness technologies in the private sector are forcing the public sector to redefine hierarchical, bureaucratic organization models. %ustomers, employees, citizens, businesses are facing everyday the innovative !-(usiness applications implementing by the private sector by using information and communication technology are re<uiring the same from government organizations )AB survey on !-government, .-$.*. any governments have put in place !-Government initiatives and information and communication technology applications for the people to further enhance public sector efficiencies and streamline governance systems to support sustainable development. )>sborne and Gaebler, $//.* referred to citizens as customers for governments, since government

need to authorize rather than serve, to shift from hierarchy to teamwork and participation to be mission oriented and customer focused and to focus on prevention rather than cure. Tap scoot and carton )$//.* argue that ;%T causes Cparadigm shift introducing Cthe era of network intelligence, the same prevailed in public sector also. Table+ $ &aradigm shifts in public service delivery 'ureaucratic paradigm >rientation 4rocess organization 4roduction cost-efficiency 'unction rationality, departmentalization, vertical hierarchy of control anagement principle anagement by rule and mandate 'le:ible management, interdepartmental team work with central coordination. 8eadership style %ommand and control 'acilitation and coordination, innovative entrepreneurship. ;nternal communication Top down, Dierarchical ultidirectional network with central coordination, direct communication. !:ternal communication %entralized formal, limited channels ode of service delivery =ocumentary mode and interpersonal interaction 4rinciples of service delivery &tandardization impartially, e<uity 'ormal and informal direct and fast feedback, multiple channels. !lectronic e:change, non face to face interaction Aser customization, personalization. E Government paradigm Ase satisfaction an control, fle:ibility Dorizontal hierarchy, network organization, information sharing.

$einventing #ocal Governments and the e Government "nitiatives ((o) *++*)

*! E-Government ,efinition ! EGovernment means facilitating citizens, customers, business with electronic administration by the government. ! EGovernment is a multidimensional and comple: concept which demands a broad definition and understanding in order to be able to design and implement a successful strategy. $. "ccording to "braham and employees. .. Forld (ank, ).--$*, !-government is the government owned or operated systems of information and communication technologies that transform relations with citizens, that private sector andG or other government agencies so as to promote citizens empowerment, improve service delivery, strengthen accountability, increase transparency or improve government efficiency. 2. 'raga ).--$*, !-government is the transformation of public sector internal and e:ternal relationship through net-enabled operations. ;T and communication, in order to improve+ Government service delivery, constituency participation# society. 5. Tap scott )$//1*, !-government is an internet worked government which links new technology with legal systems internally and in turn links such government information infrastructure e:ternally with everything digital and with everybody- the ta: payer, suppliers, business customers, voters and every other institution in the society. eans ).--$*, Cthe electronic interactions )transaction and

information e:change* between the government the public )citizens and businesses* and

Table+ . E-Government ,evelopment "nde. - /op *+ Countries of *+ * Country "nde. Hepublic of 7orea -./.62 Betherlands -./$.I A7 and Borthern ;reland -.6/1=enmark -.666/ Anited &tates -.6160 'rance -.612I &weden -.6I// Borway -.6I/2 'inland -.6I-I &ingapore -.6505 %anada -.652"ustralia -.62/Bew Jealand -.626$ 8iechtenstein -.6.15 &witzerland -.6$25 ;srael -.6$-Germany -.6-0/ 9apan -.6-$/ 8u:embourg -.6-$5 !stonia -.0/60

0! E-Government includes four main groups: )a* %itizens )b* (usiness )c* Government )other government and public agencies* )d* !mployees ore specifically these !-government groups can be characterized as follows# 0! Government to Citi1ens (G*C): ;t deals with the relationship between government and citizens. !-government facilitates the government agencies to talk, listen, relate ad continuously communicate with its citizens to constitute accountability, democracy and developments to public services. !merging information services government websites provide information on public policy, governance, laws, regulations, relevant documentation and types of government services provided. %itizens are easily able to obtain information on what is new in the national government and ministries and can follow links to archived information. G.% allows citizens to access government information and services instantly,

conveniently from everywhere, by use of multiple channels )4%, web T3, mobile phone or wireless device*. ;t also enables and reinforces their participation in local community life )3alentina, .--5*. 0!* Government to 'usiness (G*'): ;t is focused on the electronic interactions between government and business )private business agencies*. ;t provides the platform to get and to receive information from government from time to time, which enables to reduce their costs as well as search costs. ;t helps the business to breakout red tapsim activities and simplifies regulating processes, therefore helping the business become more potential to serve the society. 0!0 Government to Government (G*G): ;t highlights the relationship between governmental organizations like local, regional, national and international government organization. Governments often depend on other levels of government with in the state to effectively deliver services and allocate responsibilities )Hiley, .--$*. The use of ;%T is to improve or facilitate internal processes between government departments, ministries or authorities. This is seen as a prere<uisite for delivery of public services through ;%TKs )Bokia &iemens network, .--6*. 0!2 Government to Employees (G*E): This refers to the relationship between governments to employees. G.! provides an effective method to employees to learn and to upgrade their skills from the government with the use of information and communication technology. G.! refers also to strategic and tactical mechanisms for encouraging the implementation of government goals and programs as well as human resource management, budgeting and accounting )Hiley, .--$*

2! E-Government "ssues in Africa: "frica is the second largest continent with about a fifth of the worldKs total land area and the second most populous continent with one seventh )about /I- million* of the worldKs population. The continent )sub-&aharan "frica, in particular* was once labelled as a Ctechnological desert with respect to technology adoption and use )odedra, lawrie, (ennett L Goodman, $//2*. The key challenge for the !-government development of "frica remains the widespread lack of infrastructure and functional literacy. =espite recent e:pansion in mobile technology, most countries in "frica remain at the appendage end of the digital divide. These challenges have translated into a lower than world average e-government development for all sub regions. "frica has seen improvements in !-government with countries in the region looking to increase their online presence through developing websites for government ministries and agencies. )AB !government survey .-$.*. &outh "frica )-.2/25* consistently outpaces all other sub-regions. Through there has been some improvements in all sub-regions, e:cept for Borth "frica and "frica, it has been minimal, with the least e-ready sub-regions being Festern "frica)-..$0$*. "frican governments have fewer e-government initiatives than industrialized countries# make less use of ;%TKs in their work than industrialized countries# and use older generation of technology than industrialized countries )zammit .---, west .--$*. iddle

/able: 0 /op /en Countries in Africa

E-gov! development inde.

World E-gov! development ran3ing

4!5o

Country

*+ *

*+ +

*+ *

*+ +

$ . 2 5 I 1 0 6 / $-

&eychelles auritius &outh "frica Tunisia !gypt %ape 3erde 7enya orocco (otswana Bamibia

-.I$/. -.I-11 -.561/ -.5622 -.51$$ -.5./0 -.5.$. -.5.-/ -.5$61 -.2/20

-.5$0/ -.515I -.52-1 -.56.1 -.5I$6 -.5-I5 -.2226 -.2.60 -.2120 -.22$5

65 /2 $-$ $-2 $-0 $$6 $$/ $.$.$ $.2

$-5 00 /0 11 61 $-6 $.5 $.1 $$0 $.I

)AB !-government survey .-$.*. 6! E-Government &ractices in Eritrea: 6! &rofile of Eritrea: !ritrea e:tends about 1-- mi )$,--- km* along the Hed &ea coast with the total "rea of 51,005 s< mi )$.$,$55 s< km*. 4opulation ).--6 est.*+ I,-.6,---. %apital+ "smara. There is no official religion or language. The varied population is about half Tigrinya-speaking %hristians, with a large minority of uslims and diverse other peoples. "rabic, !nglish, and ;talian are also spoken. %urrency+ Bakfa. The economy is based on livestock herding and subsistence agriculture. ;ndustry, based in "smara, includes food products, te:tiles, and leather goods. !ritreaMs form of government is a transitional regime with one interim legislative body# the head of state and government is the president. " provisional !ritrean government was established in $//$ after the overthrow of the !thiopian government, and independence came in $//2 )&habait.com !ritrea*. inistry ;nformation,

Gender: "bout a third of the civil servants in !ritrea are women. Fomen generally are to be round in low level Nob categories, such as secretaries, typists, computer operators# and other clerical Nobs. There are many teachers and nurses. 20? of the teachers# and 1-? of the nurses in the country are women. 2-? of the national assembly seats are reserved for women and women constitutes about $-? of the police force. )%"'H"=/raining: The !ritrean ;nstitute of anagement of Duman resource in !ritrea, .--$* anagement )!; * in !nbatkalla is basically an in-service

training centre for public servants. The various ministries also provide training that is peculiar to their staff# some of them also conduct training needs of their staff before providing the training, public servants are also sent abroad for study fours or on fellowship to e:pose them to foreign e:perience in their area of specialty )%"'H"=anagement of Duman resource in !ritrea, .--$*.

6!*

E- Government performance of Eritrea

"ccording to Anited Bations =epartment of !conomic and &ocial "ffairs )AB=!&"* &urvey .-$., the following set of inde: indicators e:plaining the most important dimensions of !Government of !ritrea. This survey highlights the scope and <uality of on-line services, development of Tele-communications infrastructure, and inherent human capital embodying the countryKs capacity to participate in the information society.

'igure+ $
E-Government Development Index

10

'igure+ .

On line service component index

elecomm in!r"str#ct#re index %"pit"l index

$#m"n

11

6! 7n-line inde. and its components (85,E4A 4urvey *+ *)

;t was found that the &tate of !ritrea, >n-line service inde: shows -..-/. which is based upon a four stage model reflecting the level of sophistication of a stateKs online presence. ;t ranges from C!merging ;nformation &ervice where limited and static information is provided by the government to C%onnected 4resence where highly integrated and secured interactions are possible with the government. >nline inde: and its components assessed, a composite of countryKs national website, including the central portal, e-service portal and e-participation portal and websites of the related ministries of education, labour, social services, health, finance and environment.

'igure+ 2

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6! ! 4tages of E-Government development 5.1.1.1 Emerging information service is the first &tage to represent limited and basic information. The e-government online presence comprises government web sites provide information on public policy, governments, laws, regulations, relevant documentation and types of government services provided to the citizens are easily able to obtain information on what is the new in national governments and ministries can follows links to archived information. AB=!&" survey found that e-government online presence representing 62? of emerging information services to the citizens of !ritrea. 5.1.1.2 Enhanced presence is the second &tage in which the government web sites enhanced one way or simply two Eway e-communication between government and citizens. Government facilitates greater public policy and governance sources of current and archived information, such as policies, laws and regulations, repots and downloadable databases. This &urvey revealed that 21? of enhanced information services flowing to the citizens of !ritrea. 5.1.1.3 Transactional Services is the Third &tage that permits two-way interaction between the citizens and the government which includes options for applying ;= cards, birth certificates and paying ta:es and this facility allowing citizens to ac<uire on line transactional services. This survey observed that the &tate of !ritrea e<uip Transactional services to meet the level of sophistication of a stateKs online presence. 5.1.1.4 Connected Services is the 'ourth &tage labelled that most sophisticated level in the online e-government initiatives. ;t comprises an integration of Government to Government, Government to %itizens and %itizens to Government. This facility encourages participatory deliberative decision-making and is willing and able to involve the society in a two way open dialogue. The survey of AB=!&" revealed that $-? of Betworked presence provided to the citizens of !ritrea. 'igure+ 5

13

,ixed Internet +#*scri*ers 1&

T elecom m unicationInfracture C om ponents

,ixed -ro"d -"nd 0&

'o*ile +#*scri*ers 35&

Estim"ted Internet #sers 54&

'"in !r"me ()one lines 10&

6!* /elecommunication "nfrastructure "nde. and its components (85,E4A 4urvey *+ *)

" telecommunication infrastructure inde: comprises internet users, telephone lines, online population, mobile phones users and fi:ed broadband users. AB=!&" survey observed that the Telecommunication infrastructure inde: value of the &tate of !ritrea was -.-$2. of which estimated internet users were I.5-?, main fi:ed phone lines $.-2?, obile subscribers 2.I2?, 'i:ed interest subscribes -.$5? and 'i:ed broadband users were not found.

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'igure+ I 9!0 (uman Capital Components

Enrollmenent1 29257

.d#lt /iter"c01 66258

6!0 (uman Capital "nde. and its components (85,E4A 4urvey *+ *)

The Duman %apital inde: composite of two parameters, those are adult literacy rate and the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio. This survey identified that !Government readiness was -.2/-0 of which adult literacy rate consists of 11.I6? and !nrolment consist of ./.I0?.

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'igure+ 1 6!2 E - &articipation "nde.

E-("rticip"tion Index

6!2 E - &articipation "nde. (85,E4A 4urvey *+ *)

!-4articipation indicators establish transparency in Government by allowing citizens to use new line of influence which reduces barriers of public participation in policy making. AB=!&" survey revealed that !-participation inde: of the &tate of !ritrea shows -..12.

16

4W7/ A5A#:4"4 ;7$ E-G7<E$5=E5/ A&&#"CA/"754 "5 E$"/$EA

/able: 2

4trength "dvantage of tardy adopter "dvantage of most up-to-date technology. inimize the time to test the technology 7pportunities "wareness level to technological developments

Wea3ness Digh illiteracy rate =erisory level of telecommunication progress 8ack of trained technical manpower

/hreats %yber law issues %itizen monitoring ;ncrease urbanGrural divides

8ow rate of corruption enhances the speed of e-government

>

Heengineer administration process foster the growth and efficiency. 7pportunities of E-government in Eritrea $. %ost reduction and competence growth

.. Transparency, anti-corruption and answerability 2. Ouality of services delivery to various associates 5. 4romote the use of ;%T in various sectors of the society. >! Cost reduction and Competence gro%th+ ;n the state of !ritrea, the implementation of !-government practices would increase the competence growth and cost reductions for public as well as private organizations. 4utting services online substantially decreases the processing costs of many activities compared with the manual way of handling operations. &ince the country of !ritrea in the phase of developing economy, it has tremendous potential for cost saving, enhanced development in all sectors of the economy using the positive e-government practices.

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>!* /ransparency) Anti-corruption and Ans%erability+ !-government practices helps to increase the transparency of decision making process in all areas of development. ;t helps to maintain a close relationship with citizens to e:tract novel ideas and suggestions to improve the aptitude to serve the society. ;n the process, it can discourage the corruption and establish good governance practices in which public participation can be augmented. >!0 ?uality of services delivery to various associates: The state of !ritrea has enormous prospects of e-government towards business and customers. !-government would speedup the process of business by getting relevant information with the help of ;%T applications so as to improve the <uality. ;t facilitate round the clock accessibility ).5:0:21I* to businesses and customers to obtain information which is a key success constituent >!2 &romote the use of "C/ in various sectors of the society: one of the main benefits of an egovernment initiative consists of the promotion of ;%T use in various sectors of the society. ;n order to interact, transact and communicate electronically with businesses, citizens and other stakeholders, it is necessary to mandate the use of ;%T tools and applications. The state of !ritrea has the opportunity to build up ;%T applications. @! Challenges of e-government in Eritrea: $. ;nformation and communication technology infrastructural deficiencies like computer literacy, telecommunication e<uipment .. &kills, capabilities, education and learning 2. %ultural hindrances and resistance to change 5. 4ublicG private partnership, community and network development I. 3ision and mission @! "C/ eAuipment: ;%T infrastructure is recognized to be one of the main challenges for e-government in !ritrea. ;nternetworking is re<uired to enable appropriate sharing of information and open up new channels for communication and delivery of new services )Tapscott, $//1*. 'or a transition to electronic government a guiding set of principles, models and standards are needed. The digital gap between richer countries and developing ones is large with high-income economies having 5$1 personal computers

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per $,--- and low-income economies only 1 per $,--- )world bank,.--2*. The other challenges in this area are+ the high cost of broad band, low 4% penetration. @!* 43ills) capabilities) education and learning + The availability of appropriate skills is central for successful e-Government implementation. !-Government re<uires amalgam human capacities+ technological, commercial and management. Technical skills for mechanism, maintenance, designing and implementation of ;%T infrastructure, as well as skills for using and managing online processes, functions and customers, are necessary )AB4"L"&4", .--$*. To address human capital development issues, knowledge management initiatives are re<uired focusing on staff training, seminars, workshops in order to create the basic skills for e-Government handling. @!0 Cultural hindrances and resistance to change: ;n order to adopt e-government practices the e:isting practices needs to be change to approve the positive transformation. =e8isi )$//-* identifies culture as the primary driver of strategic organizational change. (eing aware of an organizationKs culture is already a big step towards a higher capacity to change )Dassard and &harifi, $/6/*. "ddressing resistance successfully means ensuring the e:istence of incentives for employees to learn and change and the establishment of well-structured plans that embrace employee participation throughout all stages of a change process. @!2 &ublicB private partnership) community and net%or3 development: 4artnership and cooperation at local, regional and national levels, as well as between public and private organizations, are important elements in the e-Government development process. Bevertheless, collaboration and cooperation are not simple to realize. " newK development model is emerging that focuses on partnership among stakeholders in the knowledge-based development program )Talero L Gaudette, $//1*. @!6 <ision and =ission: >ne of the main challenges for an e-Government proNect is the institution of an appropriate and conte:t tailor made strategy. !very proNect or initiative needs to be rooted in a very careful, analytical and dynamic strategy. This seems to be a very difficult task, re<uiring a focus on many aspects and processes, a holistic vision, long-term focus and obNectives. any public institutions limit their activities to a simple transfer of their information and services online without taking into consideration the reengineering process needed to grasp the full benefits.

C! 4ummary and Conclusions:

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The ignition to electronic technology, improvement in the field of communication know-how and the rapid globalization process enabled the e-government processes more in accelerate pace. any entities of the society started receiving benefits from the e-government practices like business, citizens, employees and government agencies. !-government can augment the speed and competence of operations by streamlining processes, lowering costs, improving research capabilities, documentation and record keeping. ! EGovernment means facilitating citizens, customers, business with electronic administration by the government. ! EGovernment is a multidimensional and comple: concept which demands a broad definition and understanding in order to be able to design and implement a successful strategy. The country !ritrea is a prospective country for e-government practices to be implemented successfully. The country has main opportunities like cost reduction.

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$eferences: 1. AB !-government &urvey .--6 C'rom !-Government to connected Government http+GGunpan$.un.orgG intradocGgroupsGpublicG documentsGABGAB4"B-.61-0.pdf first accessed on $1th "ugust, .--6. 2. The !lectronic 9ournal on ;nformation &ystems in =eveloping %ountries, 3. "bramson, ". . and eans, !.G ).--$* E-Government, 4ricewaterhouse %oopers !ndowment for the (usiness of Government, Howman L 8ittlefield 4ublishers ;nc. 4. )%"'H"=anagement of Duman resource in !ritrea, .--$*

5. http+GGwww.unpan.orgGe-government

6. Dassard, 9. and &harifi, &. )$/6/* %orporate %ulture and &trategic %hange, 9ournal of General anagement, 6, ., 5-$/. 7. Towards effective e-governance+ The delivery of public services through local e-content+ Bokia &iemens Betworks %orporation ).--6* 8. !ritrean 9. inistry ;nformation +http+GGshabait.com

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