EC outlines recipe for successful e-government: The European Commission has said that public administrations that combine the use of ICT to deliver new services with a substantial reorganisation of the way they work will get higher appreciation ratings from business and citizens. This finding came from a survey called "Reorganisation of Government Back Offices for Better Electronic Public Services," which said that reorganisation reduces costs, increases productivity, and provides flexibility and simpler organisational structures. The benefits of reorganisation for government "customers" include fewer visits to administrations and faster, cheaper and more accessible services. "The success of e-government depends on the right combination of ICT, re-organisation and training," commented Erkki Liikanen, Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society.
Canada risks e-government failure: report: Canada's e-government strategy is in danger of failure unless the government takes decisive action, according to a new report. The Auditor General of Canada said in an official review that the Government On-Line (GOL) programme could become an "expensive and underused initiative" unless certain key issues are resolved. The study said that two-thirds of the project's six-year timeframe had elapsed, but some of its most challenging aspects had yet to be addressed. Many departments only have high-level plans for service transformation and have not developed detailed plans for issues such as staffing, marketing on-line services and integrating information systems. The report drew special attention to the lack of progress with regard to the proposed Secure Channel, a secure hub for electronic transactions originally slated to cost CAD57 million (EUR34 million) but now estimated to end up costing CAD604 million (EUR358 million). The report advised the government to establish clear expectations for the GOL initiative, resolve complex legal and privacy issues, and provide for long-term financing of the scheme.
France reveals e-government strategy: The French government has unveiled a comprehensive e-government strategy for the next four years. The EUR1.8 billion initiative, known as ADELE (Administration Electronique), involves the implementation of 140 projects. The government's mission is to e-enable all public services by the end of 2006. Among the e-government schemes to be rolled out under the ADELE initiative are the development and launch of an electronic ID card for citizens, the establishment of a Web site to simplify change-of-address registrations, and the e-enablement of public sector procurement. "I want my government to be mobilised around electronic administration, which is a great enabler for State reform," said French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, speaking at the launch of the strategy.
South Africa trials e-government portal: The South African government has launched the test version of its new "e-government gateway" portal. The new site aims to provide citizens, businesses and visitors to the country with a one-stop shop where they can access government services. The portal is available at www.services.gov.za and there are plans to integrate it with the government's existing site, www.gov.za. The Government Communication and Information Service said the portal project had two phases: the first will focus on providing improved information about government services, while the second phase will centre on the rollout of transactional e-services. Currently, the site provides a guide to hundreds of public services, allows the downloading of relevant forms and gives information on any costs involved in the services.
Dubai SMS service passes half-million milestone: Dubai has announced that more than half a million text messages were delivered by government departments to the public in the first three months since the launch of the mDubai initiative. Under the scheme, participating government departments can log in with a special password to portal www.mdubai.ae, and send short messages to the mobile phones and PDAs of people who have signed up for the service. The most frequent government user of mDubai was the Dubai Police, which delivered more than 125,000 text messages to members of the public. The Department of Health and Medical Services was the second biggest user, with 45,000 messages, followed by the Dubai Civil Defence on 43,000. Twenty-five departments have participated in the service since its launch in September last year. "MDubai is a project that leverages the increasing popularity of mobile phones to build communication channels with citizens," said Salem Al Shair, director of e-services, Dubai eGovernment.
Quelle: Electric News Net, 18.02.2004
