E-government Reforming the Public Administration to Accelerate Development

1. E-governmentReforming the Public Administration to Accelerate Development By Prof G.O. Ajayi Director-General/CEO National Information Technology Development Agency Abuja- Nigeria

2. A Brief on Nigeria • Area:923,766 sq.km. • Population:120 million (estimate) (75% resides in the rural areas) • Capital:Abuja • Government:Three-tier structure - A Federal Government, 36 State Governments, 774 Local Government Administrations • Economy:Resource-based, with oil contributing over 90% of foreign exchange earnings Source: www.nigeria.gov.ng

3. Must we have Reforms? • The Information revolution is a revolution indeed! It has radically changed the way we do things and this is true for virtually every area of life. • Globalization, triggered by ICT, has redefined the requirements for success and given us new challenges like increased speed, convenience, availability, rich content, etc. • Services are the public face of the government and they need to be readily accessible and effective • Public Administration, as we know it now, stands no chance of keeping up with the pace of the transformation unless it integrates the tools of the revolution into its system. ICTs are the tools of the Information Revolution. • Public Administration requires a holistic approach, where the boundaries between government departments become transparent.

4. ‘Roadblocks’ to the Reforms • Inertia/Resistance to Change: Technology is easy but people are hard! People are resistant to change for all sorts of reasons ranging from selfishness to ignorance. There are people that benefit from the inefficiency of the system and would do their best to resist change. Others just have a phobia for new things and would rather stick with old inefficient systems rather than risk being a novice in a new highly efficient systems.

5. Some Developments in Nigeria • Recognizing the need to make the public service in Nigeria compatible with the realities of the information age, President Olusegun Obasanjo has approved the establishment of Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR) • The vision of the BPSR is to build a public service that works for the people • The Mission Statement, adopted at a recent Presidential Retreat on Service Delivery, is as follows: To build a Civil Service that is performance and result oriented, …, professional and technologically sensitive … and committed to a continuous improvement in the conduct of government business and the enhancement of national productivity

6. More on the Reforms • The core thrust of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s is to reposition and re-professionalize the Public Service for greater efficiency, effectiveness in service delivery, accountability, transparency and overall national productivity • According to Mr. President:This administration is set to conclude reforms and reorientation in civil service and to inject ICT to drive economic transformation in all the sectors, … Government will set up National Committees to streamline and standardise all issues related to ICT and eGovernment applications at the Federal level, including minimum standards to be met by each Ministry or agency.

7. Information Technology Policy • In 2001, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of Nigeria approved the Nigerian National Information Technology (IT) Policy • The Vision is to make Nigeria an IT capable country in Africa and a key player in the Information Society by the year 2005, using IT as the engine for sustainable development and global competitiveness. • The Mission is to Use “IT” for: • Education • Creation of Wealth • Poverty Eradication • Job Creation • Global Competitiveness

8. Sectoral Applications of the IT Policy • Human Resource Development • Infrastructure • Governance • Research and Development • Health • Agriculture • Urban and Rural Development • Trade and Commerce • Arts, Culture and Tourism • National Security and Law Enforcement • Fiscal Measures

9. Governance and the IT Policy Objectives: • To replace traditional governance with electronic governance. • To create knowledge-based and Simple Moral Accountable Responsive and Transparent (SMART) governance. • To reduce bureaucracy. • To maximize productivity and quality. • To eliminate waste. • To increase efficiency. • To create an easy and free access to government information. • To reduce the cost of service delivery.

10. Some of the Strategies • Making IT skill acquisition mandatory for all government employees • Ensuring through NITDA, the implementation of compatible standards for networking of all government organisations to share • Establishing Internet connectivity and access for government employees at all levels. • Simplifying citizens' access to the process of governance and government information by providing choices and options for interaction with government, and advance the use of electronic media for government contract tendering and procurement processes.

11. Pivots for Reforms • As adopted in the IT Policy, the following are the pivots for implementing the IT Policy and ensuring that the reforms are sustainable: • Human Capacity Building • Infrastructural Capacity Building • Institutional Capacity Building

12. E-government • E-government is a veritable tool revolutionizing Public administration to accelerate development. However the processes must be streamlined or else e-government will just involve the e-enablement of faulty processes • E-government services should be easy to use, ubiquitous, readily-available, private and secure, cost-effective, innovative and result oriented

13. Some Definitions of e-government • The use of information & communication technologies to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency & accountability of governance – World Bank • The use of information and communication technologies, and particularly the Internet, as a tool to achieve better government- OECD e-Government Imperative (2003)

14. Potential advantages of e-government in Public Administration • Significant cost-savings, allowing funds to be channeled to other areas • Reduction of Bureaucracy • Increase in Efficiency • Helps to develop an IT culture which will reduce the learning curve of subsequent applications • Transparency • Availability of government services online 24hours a day, 7 days a week all through the year

15. All encompassing relevance of e-government For every life situation ... Criminalregister Marriage Child care Work Buying real estate Holidays Passport Moving house Jewelers Car Company start-up Building companies Tourism Driver's license Unemployment Removal companies University Car companies Job agencies Military or alternative service Divorce Legal advice Apprentice-ships Pension Plan proposals Choosing a vocation Health ins. Local companies Social insurance Starting school Death ... a comprehensive range of offerings Birth

16. E-government in Nigeria • On the 8th of March 2004, the President of Nigeria declared the 1st Stakeholders Conference on National e–government Strategies (www.negst.com) • A Public-Private-Partnership was adopted in the establishment of the National e-Government Strategies Limited (NeGSt) • The aim is to use emerging technologies to build relationship with the citizenry in order to deliver services in a cost effective and efficient way

17. Nigerian e-government model

18. E-government Model contd. • As indicated by the model, the aim is to address all sectors of the economy • The strategy is to develop the different modules for eventual integration • NITDA has organized a number of conferences on the different modules to sensitize the professionals in those sectors on the need to e-enable their processes. Such conferences include those on e-Judiciary and e-Banking held in March 2004

19. Content and Applications • They play a major role in determining the effectiveness of an e-government solution. A study should be done to determine the critical applications that would have the greatest impact on the administrative process. • For example, a solution that spares a citizen the hassles of travelling long distances in order to retrieve information will gain popularity and will be subscribed to. • There is a need for a one-stop portal that will provide links to the gamut of e-government services that are available.

20. Success KeysA Need for Champions • Leadership: Rhetoric or Reality There is a need for Champions at the top echelon of the government in order to successfully drive the ship of the public service. When the decision makes catch the fire, the job is half done • Constant sensitization of these decision makers is the key to ensuring that they become champions of the process • NITDA, in collaboration with two private companies, established an Enterprise Technology Centre offer IT training to the decision makers. • Once a process is adopted, there is a need for focus and disciplined execution to achieve the desired objectives

21. Other Success Keys • Proper Coordination • Proper Funding and Strategic Investments • There must be seamless integration of the different solutions

22. In Conclusion… • Priority must be given to the development of a robust e-government system to accelerate the process of development in governance. Traditional methods must give way to e-enabled methods. Everybody, the government and the citizens, will benefit from this.

23. Thank You and God Bless! • Contact Details: Prof. G.O. Ajayi Director-General/CEO National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Plot 695 Port-Harcourt Crescent Off Gimbiya Street Area 11, Garki-Abuja URL: www.nitda.gov.ng E-mail: gajayi@nitda.gov.ng Phone: +234-9-3142926 Fax: +234-9-3142924