Implementation Of E-Government Strategies In Botswana

E-Government is concerned with the delivery of government services to the public through an integrated and interoperable network of legacy systems, enhanced with the latest technology. In it’s entirety, e-Government entails the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by government in the provision of public services (Joseph, 2017). Enterprise integration is the process of ensuring the interaction between enterprise entities necessary to achieve e-Government objectives. Enterprise integration can be approached through different architectural domains, Lankhorst (2005) outlines that Enterprise Architecture is the most common coherent method to achieve Enterprise Integration in a consistent manner. Enterprise integration and underlying systems interoperability aim at facilitating seamless operation between business entities from a single, networked or virtualized organization. While enterprise integration has a strong organizational dimension, interoperability has a more technical nature (Vernadat, 2010).

Interoperability still means many things to many people and it is often interpreted in many different ways with different expectations (Chen, 2006). The most common definition comes from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) where they define interoperability as the ability for two (or more) systems or components to exchange information and to use the information that has been exchanged (Panetto, 2007). Another useful definition of interoperability is by Vernadat (2010) who defines interoperability as the ability for a system to communicate with another system and to use the functionality of the other system. Enterprise interoperability is achieved if the interaction can, at least, take place at the three levels of data, application and business process (Panetto, 2007). The IEEE definition is the most referenced one but it is restricted to information system interoperability.

The definition by Vernadat (2010) introduces the concept of exchange of service functionality complementing the IEEE definition. Enterprise interoperability is thus; the ability to communicate and exchange information, use the information exchanged and access to functionality of a third system. A shared understanding on enterprise interoperability is required for a coordinated and efficient research and development efforts. Without strong inter-agency coordination and “buy in” the risks of duplication, interoperability gaps, project failure and user dissatisfaction are substantial. By their nature, e-Government systems cut across more than one government functions. Without serious inter-agency coordination, service-orientation, customer-centric e-Government is impossible to implement successfully (Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, 2006). Botswana completed the e-Government Strategy for the period of 2011-2016 in 2010. The key objective was to improve the convenience, quality and efficiency of public sector service delivery by putting appropiate services online. To achieve this, the Government envisaged to work as one enterprise – 1Gov (Botswana Government, 2011).

The government needed to integrate information, technologies and structures in order to provide a seamless set of high quality services for clients. To provide a wide choice of delivery channels, Botswana adopted an approach; “any door is the right door”. The goal for the e-government was that once the strategy is fully implemented, clients would access government services through computers and mobile phones, through libraries and Kitsong Centres (or Community Centers) in nearby villages, via a central call centre or a conveniently placed kiosk, in-person at a Government Service Centre, or directly through a ministry office. In order to link all the components of the framework, a well-connected and stable Government Enterprise Architecture is required (Botswana Government, 2011). The architecture would help to manage complexity and change in business processes such as Records Management, Finance Management, HR & Payroll, and Geographical Information System (GIS). Existing processes would need re-engineering and a group of e-services delivered through a citizen centric government portal.

The Interoperability Standards and Stakeholder Engagement Framework will also be developed to support the transformation. In the report of the Federal government’s action plan for e-Government for the United States of America (USA, 2002), the primary goals for the President’s “Expanding e-Government” initiative were to: make it easy for citizens to obtain service and interact with the federal government, improve government efficiency and effectiveness and Improve government’s responsiveness to citizens. The main goal of the President's vision for reforming government emphasized that "government needs to reform its operations—how it goes about its business and how it treats the people it serves. ” The following three principles guided the USA vision: citizen-centred, not bureaucracy-centred; results-oriented; and Market-based, actively promoting innovation. In the United Arab Emirates, e-Government (UAE) seeked to facilitate the operation of government and the distribution of governmental information and services. The ultimate goal of e-Government as adopted by UAE was to offer an increased portfolio of public services to citizens in an efficient and cost effective manner (Al-Khouri, 2012).

In agreement with other governments who have engaged on e-Government, the Kingdom of Bahrain is focused on ensuring effective delivery of government services to citizens, residents, businesses and visitors (considered as not resident customers). The phrase: "Delivering Customer Value through Collaborative Government" summarizes their e-Government strategy. The main goal of the e-Government strategy was to enhance service delivery through the phased electronic enablement of services, also recognizing that the provision of services through electronic tools is useful only if it facilitates anyone to access services anytime and anywhere in a more convenient manner. A critical success factor for an effective e-Government strategy include identifying customers' preference delivery channels. In line with this, the UAE Government has identified multiple channels to facilitate the delivery of services: e-Government Portal; Mobile Portal; National Contact Centre; E-Services Centres and e-Kiosks (Al-Khouri, 2012). Critical Success Factors (CSFs) are defined in several ways depending on the purpose for which they are used. The research defines CSFs as "the limited number of areas in which results, if they are satisfactory, will ensure successful competitive performance for the organisation" (Shah, Branganza, Khan, & Xu, 2005). The CSF approach represents an accepted top-down methodology for corporate strategic planning, and while it identifies few success factors, it highlights key information requirements of top management.

In addition, if the critical success factor identified is controllable, management can take certain steps to improve potential for success (Shah et al. , 2005). This technique has been widely used in many businesses and technology related contexts for over four decades and its use is still common. In the context of this research, CSFs theory is used to pinpoint some areas that are critical for success of the e-Government in Botswana. Development of an e-Government ecosystem requires close local support in the development of applications and as such a higher maturity of local application development is required. Botswana Government identified opening Government data as an initiative to facilitate an environment to improve the maturity level of application development. Also, due to its wide area with small population, Botswana’s e-Government strategy places an emphases on multiple channel delivery especially; service centers and kiosks.