E-government is all about getting government services online. It is about government agencies working together to use technology so that they could deliver services more efficiently, transparently, and effectively .
Ina situation where it works, e-government will deliver enhanced services to citizens and provide a better environment to build a knowledge-based economy. E-government makes it easier to do business with government. It also makes it cheaper. It is cheaper for an applicant in the South to stay in his local government headquarters and be able to download and NDA form instead of traveling to the next Army brigade headquarters, to purchase one after staying on queue for hours.
It is equally easier for an applicant to download a civil service form online rather than pay bribe to get one from the ministry.
Matter-of-fact is, e-government is the vogue now. It is the wind that blows, and as The Group MD of Chams, Mr. Demola Aladekomo would put it, the question to be asked really is, "who is not using e-government?"
Actually, government wanted it to start rolling as from May 29 this year but the applications were not yet all ready. Sources at the National e-Government Strategy Limited, the organisation co-ordinating the programme said some critical applications just had to be on the ground before the president flags the movement on. The Chams MD would also confirm this when he said the launch was delayed because NeGSt and partners wanted to be sure that what is being launched is fully integrated, that they are all ready and that it could be delivered.
In the race to the launch, the fear had been the attitude of civil servants towards the success of the project. It means then that the self-importance of some officials would be removed. Why beg to be allowed a peep into a document you could get online?
There would be success in that direction only if the top is determined. The Minister of Science & Tech had said in an interview that everyone just had to join in or be left behind. It is fervently hoped that some of his colleagues would not be left behind.
As for the general public, experts like Aladekomo believe that anyone that could use a cell phone shouldn't have problems using e-government products. Even in the villages, someone with education as little as pry six could help others. Aladekomo says, As time goes on, people just have to conduct all their businesses online or they wouldn't have anybody to do business with.
Chams which he heads is contributing three solutions to the e-government project.
"We presented three major solutions to the government," he says. The first one is Chams Access Service Terminal which is very critical even for Government to Government (G2G) solution delivery. The other one is authentication solution. This is regarded as a must if the government must go ahead with e-Government. Individuals must be certified to be who they say they are. Chams, through Supercard already developed a solution, the Supercard Financial Data Repository (FDR) Card. This gives each person a number that could not be replicated. The third solution we are offering is Payment plaform. People have to pay tax. People must pay for government services and with Paymaster suite of solution, the company has been able to nationwide offer payment services using its POS terminal and wireless telecom infrastructure.
Chams is not by any means the only company offering good and quality solutions. There are many others. As at the last count, NeGSt has signed on about 40 companies. More are still applying. The wind is really blowing hard.
Although it is the wind that blows at the moment and the mood in the IT industry, at NeStG, at NITDA and at the Ministry of Science & Technology, there are some issues that needs to be ironed out.
Like a privacy act that should make it a criminal offence with stiff penalties for anyone giving out other people's confidential information, for gain or for any reason.
Like the establishment of a government portal, which is basically a website that assist citizens find information and services, especially those provided by government agencies and parastatals. As an expert point out, the portal " will be like an online reception desk for the whole of government." That reception desk had better be up to the task or the disillusionment would not be easily assuaged.
Autor: Tayo Ajakaye
Quelle: AllAfrica, 15.06.2005
