IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Following the successful launch of its 21st Century Government initiative at a Heads of Government Summit in Antigua and Barbuda in January 2018, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) will be presenting, in a workshop in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in March 2018, a policy framework and guidelines for implementation of 21st Century Government.

A 21st Century Government is one that makes effective use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to deliver services to its citizens, and its internal and external clients. It is characterised by citizen-centric, seamless, open, interactive, efficient and transparent processes. 21st Century Government will transform the public service, strengthen economic competitiveness and promote sustainable development. Many countries have been introducing electronic government (e-Government) services but the process has been very slow.

The Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Bill 2016 was passed in the Upper House of Parliament yesterday, in just under eight minutes and without a word of opposition.

Senate Majority Leader, Senator Lennox Weston described the short amendment as “some house cleaning” and briefly summarised its aim.

“Basically … this is some house cleaning (and) window cleaning to make sure that when we use electronic data we can make sure it’s authentic. We have some flexibility in filing electronic data and it’s preparing us for when we go to an e government platform,” he said.

When it comes to the Caribbean’s vision for 21st Century Government, Estonia is an excellent example of the possibilities for transforming governments and countries.

With a population of 1.3 million, Estonia is ranked among the world’s top leaders in the development of e-government having 99% of its public services available online 24/7.

The Government Assisted Technology Endeavour (GATE) was unveiled and the programme is being hailed as a major development for the island.

Only the ICT Cadet programme, which is the first component of GATE, was introduced and officials are confident that when the remaining modules are executed, Antigua & Barbuda will be taken to the next level of technological advancement.

Minister of State with responsibility for that Ministry, Senator Dr. Edomond Mansoor, says 2012 will be the year of electronic development.

Minister Mansoor said government is committed to advancing the twin island state to a level where the country is more competitive in the area of information technology.

The components are – 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) connectivity for government under the expanded E-Government drive; a multipurpose ICT training facility and special needs resource centre and; 6000 tablets (computers) for Antiguan & Barbudan students.

GATE will ensure that Antigua & Barbuda maintains its dominant position as an ICT leader in the Caribbean, as the country becomes more advanced in the ICT and Telecommunications sectors.

The first component of GATE is an ICT Cadet programme, which provides an opportunity for young people interested in working in information technology (IT) related fields to acquire technical skills, as well as to gain valuable workplace experience.

Connect Antigua and Barbuda Biz was described as a multi-faceted, revolutionary ICT platform that will move small and micro-businesses forward in an environment without boundaries.

Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer hailed the move as a project that is critical for the future development of Antigua and Barbuda.

Residents are slowly warming to the idea that they can now renew their driver’s licences online.

The initiative, which came onstream on January 1, forms part of the Antigua & Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP’s) e-government platform.

Acting General Manager of the Antigua & Barbuda Transport Board (ABTB) Hubert Jarvis said a few people have registered and are utilising the system.

Prime Minister Dr. The Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell will deliver the feature address at the 21st Century Government Summit on 16th January 2018 at the St. James Club, Antigua and Barbuda.

This Summit, organised by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), in collaboration with the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) is the first activity of a programme for transforming the Caribbean public service, called 21st Century Government. Such governments will be characterised by citizen-centric, seamless, open, interactive and efficient processes and will make effective use of information and communication technologies to deliver services to its citizens, internal and external clients.

Government systems and processes that may have worked well before the digital revolution at the end of the 20th century, have now failed the tests of cost and time efficiency, productivity, transparency and competitiveness.

The revolution in information and communication technologies (ICT) has provided an opportunity for governments to discard anachronistic operational methods in favor of modern technological solutions which enable seamless, integrated and streamlined access to information across the public sector. This is the vision of the 21st Century Government Programme.

The two-month survey was conducted last year by the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and Technology in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The objective of EGRIP is to promote the efficiency, quality and transparency of public services through the delivery of regionally integrated e-government applications that take advantage of economies of scale.

Karlene Francis, Project Manager for E-GRIP said the Regional E-Government Unit (REGU) of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat will be working with the Ministry of Information to improve quality services so that ultimately the government services will be available to persons 24 hours, 7 days a week.

The training course, according to a government release, is intended to equip senior public sector managers working in public sector initiatives on national ICT planning and implementation, and on the introduction of e-Government in their respective countries.

Minister of State with responsibility for Information, Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Dr. Edmond Mansoor, yesterday met with Devindra Ramnarine, advisor in Public Sector Informatics from the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Governance and Institutional Development Division.

Following the presentation of the 2009 Speech from the Throne by Governor-General Dame Louise Lake-Tack, Prime Minister Spencer said that the programme we have pioneered since 2004 is tantamount to a revolution. “We have been able to accomplish great things that have never been done or tested in the region before,” he said.