The services include e-procurement, payment of bills and taxes, licensing, downloading of government forms, online services, public information and business opportunities.
The Economic and Social Research Foundation through its Tanzania Knowledge Network (TAKNET) has introduced a topic for discussion to explore how the country can take advantage of emerging technologies to improve government service delivery and citizen’s engagement through e-government, mobile-government and the use of web 2 technologies like Twitter, Wikis, blogs and other social networks.
The main objective of this discussion is to explore how Tanzania can take advantage of emerging technologies to improve government.
Improving Public Service Delivery and Citizens Engagement through E-Government (Electronic Government) is the current topic under discussion following its recognition in promoting and improving efficiency in public services delivery and strengthening citizen’s participation and engagement.
Response to the demand for e-government requires a cross-sectoral approach, inter-departmental collaboration and multiple dissemination channels, introduces the topic which agrees that the tremendous increase of mobile ownership provides a stronger case for leveraging e-government to significantly improve access to public services and in transforming government, making it easily accessible to the citizens.
Three main questions on how e-government and Mobile Government transform the lives of the common Tanzanian, what types of services and best practices which can be easily provided through e-government including mobile phones/devices and the role of other stakeholders in making e-government a success are being addressed in the discussion.
One Kabuje Furaha agrees that the pace towards e-government is slow, suggesting to emulate neighbouring Rwanda, arguing: “Imagine a person from Mbeya importing day-old chicks or meat from Malawi that go all the way to Dar es Salaam to process necessary documents before returning to Mbeya.
“The implication of these arrangements adds costs to the businessperson and are time consuming. My argument here is that, there should be an internet-based system to make sure such a person can apply and clear all documentation,” he notes. Kabuje adds: “The e-government is centralized to a large extent.
There is need to decentralize it to the grass root level such as local government authorities where many users can easily access it.”
He thinks the central government should strengthen ICT to LGA level. There should be a computer room for use by the public in trying to get particular services from central government e.g downloading/filling forms. This can easily be accessed even by the poor, whether computer knowledgeable or not, because they will be assisted.
Other contributors have said the vast areas that are not reached by electricity, about 90 percent of the country, should not pose a problem to the government service delivery through the electronic means as the majority of wananchi have mobile phones that can do in place of computers.
There should be links under the ministry of industry, trade and marketing to help farmers and businesspeople to get prices of livestock, crops at various markets in the country, says another contributor, adding that the information posted must be updated all the time.
“It took me more than a year to process ownership transfer of plots I purchased. It is simply go and return to land offices and most of the time you don’t find the officer in charge in office. These are the few areas where I believe ICT would help to solve these problems and even corruption,” says the contributor.
Deo Mutalemwa mentions raising the general education of the population (literacy), getting reliable and widespread electricity as even mobile phones need it, integrity of public servants including those who operate the ITC systems, showing up-to-date information on government websites and good maintenance of ICT facilities are challenges that should be addressed to achieve the good goal.
“Ensuring IMS interlinkages among different services like tax agency/records and credit issuing institutions to enhance borrower’s credibility, or land registry and credit agencies for checking on lending guarantees, students loan board and TRA records to verify status of loan applicant’s parents, students loan board and employment records to trace loan repayment process, hospital services and employees social protection schemes, are some of the areas that can be accessed,” he says.
Mutalemwa adds: “One can easily see here the urgency of a comprehensive national identity card which has been on the drawing board for years.”
“We should not gloss over these needs as we applaud the merits of the e-government initiative. Unfortunately in a number of past initiatives that were intrinsically good like UPE or expanded secondary education we buried ourselves in the glory of crude outcomes and came to realize the fundamental drawbacks rather late,” he warns.
Omari Mwinyi Khamis argues: “We Tanzanians need to change, our leaders need to be creative and ready for modern technology. If I can use solar lamps to light my house garden in Denmark/Sweden how is it impossible to use solar lamps in Tanzania? We actually don’t need a foreign investor for solar energy.
TANESCO could start such projects in Tanzania and ease blackouts. One can store the solar energy in lead-batteries and use it when required. Some of my solar lamps can recharge the lead batteries themselves.”
He adds: “Progress does not come in any country without reliable electricity. We can’t depend on diesel to generate electricity since this is the most expensive way of using tax payer’s money.
Your e-governance will not function properly without reliable electricity. Our heavy industries and mines cannot function at 100 percent capacity without reliable.
Besides we have enormous coal deposits in the country that can be used for a period of almost 100 years. Why can’t we use this natural resource to generate electricity?
Tanzania also has uranium! Why can’t we use uranium to generate electricity? We have professors in physics and atomic energy in the country!”
An academic who lives in Sweden adds sadly: “The lack of teachers is just another example. There are many Tanzanians living abroad who want to come back to Tanzania and teach but they are not given the chance by the Tanzanian government, schools or universities.
Many of them have applied to be lecturers and they are highly qualified but they receive no replies from Universities in Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Dodoma etc. But you can hear that “Our leaders are putting very much effort on education!”
E-Government refers to the use by the general government (including the public sector) of electronic technology (such as Internet, intranet, extranet, databases, decision support systems, surveillance systems and wireless computing) that have the ability to transform relations within the general government (bodies) and between the general government and citizens and businesses so as to better deliver its services and improve its efficiency.
Improving overall literacy rate, the development of telecommunication infrastructure and the commitment of the Government to genuine transformation towards a more transparent and citizen-centered governance and the formulation of new regulations and policies are necessary, according to the contributors on the ongoing discussion being moderated by Margareth Nzuki and Abdallah Hassan.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Mbena Mwanatongoni
Quelle/Source: IPPmedia, 09.01.2011
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