This is the 04th post in a blog series to be published in 2022 by the Secretariat on behalf of the AU High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) and the Calestous Juma Executive Dialogues (CJED)

Governments around the world are mandated to provide basic services such as clean water, sanitation, housing, immigration documents (passports), security, and health services, among others, for their citizenry. It remains crucial for governments to efficiently provide these services sufficiently and cost-effectively. These basic services should also closely correlate with the socio-economic activities of the population to accomplish the aspirations of the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The AU aspirations are to ensure a better and more sustainable future for all Africans.

Unfortunately, African countries' basic service delivery has remained considerably constrained by various limitations such as fractured and uncoordinated communication between governmental departments and countries. This leads to limited coordination of government services that restrict easier access to information and crucial documents and thereby restricting efficient governance. In addition, these challenges are exacerbated by the rapid urbanisation and population growth across the African continent.[1] On the other hand, African governments are pursuing and emphasising the efficiency and effectiveness of their basic services. However, these efforts are limited by budgetary and fiscal imbalances as well as effective governmental operational mechanisms. Consequently, this leads to pressure and criticism from their citizens to deliver and provide better basic services.

There are efforts among African countries to utilise Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools to enable and improve governments' service delivery across the continent. In this way, African governments are progressively adopting digital and electronic government operational mechanisms in the form of e-government service delivery. Notably, e-government systems are utilising ICT tools such as digital technologies and internet-based applications to enhance access and delivery of basic services to citizens and businesses across all governmental departments.[2]

Worth noting is that e-government technology is enabling e-services that encompass digital basic services, e-commerce programmes, and accessibility to information from governments. These e-services are easily accessed through the internet. This digital communication is boosting the participation of the public in crucial activities such as voting, e-visa, banking, paying taxes, and applying for passports and certificates such as birth, marriage, and death certificates.[3] Through e-government technological tools, African countries are decreasing the cost of government spending on services and replacing their predominant inefficient paper-based filing systems. Consequently, electronic government systems are cost-effective and environmentally friendly in the long term. In addition, the e-government systems are streamlining and providing transparency in governmental service delivery through better communication frameworks.

The African Union High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) supports the implementation of e-government services by harnessing innovation and technologies in Africa. These e-government services include focusing on Government-to-Government (G2G), Government-to-Business-and-Citizen (G2BC), and Government-to-Citizen (G2C) activities. For instance, the United Nation's e-Government Development Index in 2018 reported that some African countries such as Ghana, Mauritius, South Africa, and Tunisia were classified with a high e-government development index. This is because these African countries have enabled various types of public services to be available online.[4] Furthermore, more than 30 other African countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, Lesotho, Togo, and Rwanda had already made considerable progress towards their e-government service delivery efforts.

Notably, APET notes that e-governance enables citizens to access public services directly and timeously without excessive bureaucracy and minimise corrupt practices. Through this system, African governments can obtain swift feedback on the quality of public services. However, the implementation of e-government platforms has barely served many of their citizens in most of the African countries pursuing e-governance. For instance, basic services such as e-taxation, e-payment, and e-billing have only reached the middle class and rich people. Regrettably, e-government initiatives and programmes that are suitable for supporting poor and sometimes rural Africa has remained limited. As such, e-government programmes that can enable skills development for poor citizens, address unemployment, and enhance micro-entrepreneurship is barely available for most African countries.

Therefore, APET is suggesting that Africa's e-government implementation programmes could be redesigned and re-contextualised to address the essential needs and services for most African citizens rather than the relatively privileged few. In doing so, African governments can redefine and enable effective and valuable e-government services for their citizens at the local and national levels. Additionally, African countries can mainstream e-government platforms for electoral processes, harmonise healthcare management systems, support small businesses, and secure transparent procurement procedures. However, to realise these services, African governments need to strengthen their ICT infrastructure, bolster e-government financing programmes to enable effective implementation, strengthen their political leadership, and organise better communication mechanisms.

African countries such as Rwanda have advanced their existing technologies and established digital services towards establishing e-government services.[5] Fundamentally, Rwanda implemented a one-stop e-government initiative from April 2014 to enable online public services via a single portal.[6] This e-government service is operating under the brand name "Irembo", which can be interpreted as the "main entrance". The Irembo platform integrated approximately 96 basic government services to be accessed by about nine (9) million internet subscribers.[7] Consequently, these e-government systems have assisted the Rwandan government ease trade programmes and maximising their revenue collection efforts.

This e-government programme has allowed Rwandan traders to easily declare their goods and services and obtain their bills digitally. Accordingly, the Irembo system has reduced tax processing and payment costs by eradicating overheads on taxpayers when filing for their tax returns and making tax payments.[8] Most importantly, the Irembo system has enabled taxpayers to keep a record of their tax returns and easily retrieve this tax information at their own convenience whenever required. Rwandan citizens can easily apply for their passports online and further access all the necessary documents to fill online and easily submit them. This can be executed without long queues and moving from one office to another looking for information, documents, or authorisation.

The Rwandan Irembo system has also simplified Rwanda' e-commerce systems by enabling simpler business registration processes and procedures.[9] This was accomplished by creating a one-stop centre within the website to submit all the documents required and source information necessary to register when starting a business in Rwanda.[10] Fundamentally, this enables potential investors to easily obtain businesses' operation and registration information. As such, the World Bank has recognised Rwanda's e-government systems as a top reformer on the index of doing business, thereby making Rwanda attractive to investors.[11]

In conclusion, APET believes that African governments can leverage digital transformation so to deliver basic services to their citizens through e-government systems. In addition, APET recognises the efforts that have been pursued and implemented by the various African governments to digitise their e-government systems. This includes the continual efforts to strengthen their digital capacity. Through these efforts, African countries can accomplish the Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024) and AU's Agenda 2063. However, African countries should continue strengthening their policy, infrastructural, and skills capacity to build their strong digital government. Such efforts can effectively drive their socio-economic activities such as immigration, entrepreneurship, healthcare, education, tax filing, and banking, among others.

Featured Bloggers – APET Secretariat

Justina Dugbazah

Barbara Glover

Bhekani Mbuli

Chifundo Kungade

[1] https://gsdrc.org/topic-guides/urban-governance/elements-of-effective-urban-governance/municipal-capacity/service-delivery/#:~:text=Governments%20at%20all%20levels%20play,to%20local%20government%20for%20implementation.

[2] https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6107374.

[3] https://www.ao-itc.de/what-is-e-government-and-why-it-is-important/.

[4] United Nations e-government survey 2018, gearing e-government to support transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies. https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/portals/egovkb/documents/un/2018-survey/e-government%20survey%202018_final%20for%20web.pdf.

[6] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/isd2.12086#:~:text=Rwanda%20embarked%20on%20implementing%20a,on%20the%20%E2%80%9Cmonitoring%E2%80%9D%20aspect.

[7] https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/rwanda/publication/rwanda-economic-update-leveraging-digital-transformation-for-sustainable-growth.

[8] https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/34919.

[9] https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1303931/FULLTEXT01.pdf.

[10] https://www.visitrwanda.com/investment/how-to-invest/one-stop-centre/.

[11] World Bank Provides $100 Million to Accelerate Rwanda’s Digital Transformation, Press Release, December 1, 2021. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/12/01/world-bank-provides-100-million-to-accelerate-rwanda-s-digital-transformation.