US e-government efforts praised: US Congressional auditors have praised federal e-government efforts but said that more work needs to be done in the area. An extensive report by the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) praised the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the positive steps it has taken toward the implementation of e-government, including the establishment of the Office of E-Government and the E-Government Fund. The report also noted that progress had been achieved on initiatives such as the FirstGov portal, electronic signatures, and the posting of federal court information on the web. However, the GAO criticised the OMB's failure to develop a database and website containing information about federally funded research and development. The report also recommended that the OMB carry out a study on the use of e-government for crisis preparation. The report authors also advised the OMB to set up an innovation programme to encourage IT suppliers to devise technologies and services to enhance e-government programmes.
Germany consults entrepreneurs on e-services: The German federal government is enlisting the help of the business community in the expansion of its e-government programme, BundOnline 2005. German technology newswire Heise Online reports that Otto Schily, Germany's Federal Minister of the Interior, said that the government wants to consult with business owners on the development of online services. "We would like the business sector to contribute its criticism and its expectations regarding our e-government offers," said the minister. To this end, business owners and managers are being encouraged to complete an online questionnaire on the government's portal site, www.bund.de. The results of the questionnaire will help in the creation of more online services, which are aimed at reducing the administrative burden on companies. The government is also hosting an event in January at which Minister Schily will discuss BundOnline with leading industrial and trade associations from around Germany.
Vietnam signs e-gov deal with Intel:The Vietnamese government is to spend VND20 billion (EUR1 million) next year on the roll-out of an internet-based network for the administration. The State Administration Management Computerisation Committee, a body charged with developing the country's first e-government programme, has signed a memorandum of understanding with chip giant Intel. Under the terms of the deal, Intel will help the government build a laboratory to test and evaluate Intel's locally developed solutions based on Intel chip architecture. Intel will also supply computers and servers for the laboratory and arrange training for staff. The government of Vietnam recently set a deadline to e-enable most of its services by 2010. It is expected that, by this date, all government agencies will have a website providing information and administrative services for citizens.
UAE state launches e-government portal: United Arab Emirates member state Ras Al-Khaimah (RAK) has launched an e-government portal, www.rak.ae. The site, available in English and Arabic, is powered by Stellent, a provider of content management software, and was implemented by IT systems integrator Microsystems. The portal provides user-friendly access to government services, news and weather information, and it features facilities for handling transactions such as bill payments. "Citizens can now access critical government services online, and the government can more quickly and easily communicate with them," said David Macey, vice president of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Stellent. The first phase of the deployment of the site focused on providing information and links to government departments, as well as integrating legacy content. The second phase, which is currently under way, involves integrating more complex portal functionalities, such as search facilities, transactional capabilities and interactivity within departmental areas.
Nigerian civil servants must adopt ICT: An organisation of IT professionals has called on the Nigerian government to implement wide-scale training for civil servants in the use of ICT (information and communications technologies), reports African newswire AllAfrica.com. The Nigerian Information Technology Professionals in America (NITPA) organisation said that IT training for public servants is urgently needed, as over NGN50 billion (EUR285 million) is lost annually in low productivity due to the lack of IT skills in the country's workforce. The association called for the establishment of a Civil Service Enhancement Programme incorporating "ICT Capacity Building" in order to boost productivity and to prepare Nigeria for digital competitiveness. NITPA president Professor Manny Aniebonam remarked that in terms of e-government, Nigeria is 25 years behind developed countries, 10 years behind South Africa, and three years behind Ghana. "There is a big gap in ICT skills between the average Nigerian worker and workers of comparable economies around the globe," said Prof. Aniebonam. "This gap, at the rate of Nigeria's current ICT intervention, will continue to grow far beyond the present 15 years deficit."
Autor: Sylvia Leatham
Quelle: ElectricNews, 05.01.2005
