ICTworks

What are African e-Government Services?

African countries are implementing a diverse range of e-Government services, aiming to improve service delivery, enhance efficiency, and promote transparency. For example, common e-Government services in African countries include:

• Online Government Portals: African countries are increasingly offering online services such as e-taxation, e-payment, and e-billing through online government portals, which allow citizens to access public services more efficiently and provide governments with prompt feedback on service quality.
• Digital Identity Initiatives: Many African countries are working on digital identity initiatives to improve service delivery, including the introduction of national IDs with biometric data components to generate documents and provide services automatically, reducing paperwork and enhancing efficiency.
• G2G, G2B, and G2C Activities: e-Government services to different groups, like Government-to-Government (G2G), Government-to-Business (G2B), and Government-to-Citizen (G2C) focuses on activities such as electoral processes, staff payroll payments, healthcare management systems, support for small businesses, and transparent procurement procedures.

10 Examples of African eGovernment Services

Successful eGovernment initiatives in African countries have significantly improved government services and citizen engagement. These examples are part of a broader trend in Africa towards leveraging digital technologies to improve governance and public administration, with many countries making significant implementation progress.

1. Benin – Government Data Interoperability

The government of Benin worked with the Estonian government to design national e-government frameworks and develop e-services for Benin citizens and businesses. The government-to-government partnership focused on establishing government data interoperability to allow public sector organizations to share and reuse information effectively based on Estonia’s open-source X-Road technology.

Please note that the comments clarify that Benin’s data exchange solution is the proprietary software UXP, not the open-source X-Road.

Benin then developed an online government portal, enabling access to over 200 public services and created new e-services like national exam results publication, electronic driver’s license exams, and e-voting. e-Government lessons learned included having a motivated and knowledgeable team, establishing a solid interoperability framework, involving the private sector in developing public e-services, and offering training activities for public officials.

2. Cote d’Ivoire – Cybersecurity and Data Privacy

The African Development Bank is supporting the Côte d’Ivoire e-Government Strengthening Support Project that will improve the governance, quality, and coverage of public services offered to citizens, companies and the administration itself.

The project will address cybersecurity challenges through a Security Operations Centre (SOC), which will be coupled with a Public Key Infrastructure to ensure the reliability of digital transactions within the country and with the outside world. The SOC will reinforce the Centre for Surveillance, Alert and Response to IT Attacks (CERT), which plays a central role in the prevention of cyberattacks, and controls the incident management procedure.

The project will also improving the entire digital ecosystem by strengthening the regulatory framework. Data privacy will be protected by a new Personal Data Protection and Right to Information Authority and a National Observatory on Digital Development, establishing Côte d’Ivoire’s core position in the emerging African data market.

3. Ghana – Digital Financial Inclusion

The Ghana.gov website is a digital revenue collection platform, created to modernizing the way Ghana collects fees and pays vendors. It processes all payments and transfers against predefined service flows, manages post-payment workflow, customer notification, feedback and service ratings.

Ghana also introduced GhanaPay, an integrated online payment platform that supports Visa, MasterCard, and Gh-link Card and mobile wallet. The Gh-link EMV Card, is Ghana’s domestic card payment scheme that interconnects all banks and financial institutions in Ghana and enables accredited financial institutions to issue banking cards that are accepted nationwide across ATM and POS networks.

These digital financial services introduced by the government helped Ghana become the only country in Africa to achieve 100% access to financial inclusion on the continent.

4. Kenya – Huduma Digital Access Centres

Huduma Centres provide Kenyan eGovernment services through an online portal that centralizes public service provision under an integrated system approach, aiming to streamline service delivery and enhance citizen access to over 5,000 government services, including:

• Birth, marriage, and death certificates from the Civil Registration Services
• Police clearance certificates from the Department of Criminal Investigation
• Pension claims and payments from the Department of Pensions
• Smart drivers’ license and boda boda registration from the National Transport and Safety Authority
• Financial empowerment to women,youth, and children from the National Government Affirmative Action Fund
• Seed certification, plant variety protection, and export certificates from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services

There are 52 physical Huduma Centres with open-plan service space, modern technology, and digital tools. Researchers found they significantly increase access to government services, enhance service delivery, and improve citizen engagement.

5. Rwanda – IremboGov Online Portal

Irembo is a private technology company operating in a 25-year partnership with the Government of Rwanda to achieve the long-term vision of making Rwanda a digital society. Irembo works with 20+ government agencies to digitise and maintain 100+ citizen-centered public services on a single window platform – IremboGov – that was launched in 2015.

IremboGov is also a payment engine and charges a commission on paid services for long-term financial sustainability. Services include applying for a birth certificate, registering for a driver’s license, and land title transfers. The platform has processed over 2.7 million transactions and plans to add 100 more eGovernment services over the next three years, contributing to Rwanda’s significant reduction in corruption and the boom in its technology startup sector.

6. Senegal – National Digital Public Infrastructure

The Senegal National Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) system, also known as “Sénégal Numérique 2025“, is a comprehensive national strategy aimed at transforming Senegal into a digital society. The initiative is designed to leverage information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance public and private sector operations, improve service delivery, and promote economic growth.

SN2025 is based on three pillars: the legal and institutional framework, human resources, and digital confidence. The strategy emphasizes the importance of digital sovereignty, data protection, and the development of digital infrastructure and systems to support Senegal’s digital transformation.

A notable element of the strategy is its participatory approach, designed to ensure stakeholder buy-in and effective implementation. Key initiatives include strategic planning seminars, focus groups with women’s groups and priority economic sectors, and collaborations with the private sector.

7. South Africa – Biometric Identification System

The South African Department of Home Affairs implemented the Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) to identify citizens for various services such as immigration control, passport registration, election registration, and pension payment verification. This use of biometric data as proof of identity has made these processes more efficient, reduced paperwork, and mitigated errors.

A South African identity document is not only needed for public services, but also everyday actions such as opening a bank account. For example, now the bank can verify identity via fingerprints on a biometric scanner that connects to the Home Affairs National Identification System database.

8. Tanzania – Public Employee Management

The Watumishi Portal is a Public Service Management Information System designed to improve human resource management in the public sector. It streamlines processes such as recruitment, employee management, and payroll, allowing for:

• Employee Self Service: Government employees can access and manage their personal information, including employment history, salary documentation, and leave management
• Jisajili Mobile Financial Service: enables employees to access and manage their salaries, allowances, payments, and other financial services through their mobile devices.

The Watumishi Portal demonstrates how staff can support themselves without the need for direct intervention from HR or administrative staff. It shows the Tanzanian government’s commitment to improving service delivery, enhancing efficiency, and promoting transparency in the public sector.

9. Uganda – Integrated Financial Management

The Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) in Uganda is a computerized budgeting, accounting, and reporting system for the central and local government. IFMS offers real-time access to information for decision-making through dashboards, reports, and online inquiries, enhancing transparency and accountability.

Research on the IFMS effectiveness found three positive benefits at the local government level:

• Positive Impact on Financial Reporting: IFMS positively affects and improves the financial reporting effectiveness of district local governments in Uganda. It ensures greater accuracy, transparency, and efficiency in the reporting of financial information at the local government level.
• Streamlining Financial Reporting Systems: The IFMS facilitated the streamlining of financial reporting systems, enhanced internal control mechanisms, and improved the overall effectiveness of cash management and budgeting processes within local governments.
• Increased Accountability and Transparency: The implementation of the IFMS has contributed to the increased accountability and transparency of financial reporting in local government entities, ultimately leading to improved financial management practices and governance.

The IFMS has been integrated with many other systems to ensure a seamless exchange of information and automating key aspects of public finance management processes, from budget preparation and execution to accounting and reporting.

10. Zambia – Agriculture Management Information

The Zambia Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (ZIAMIS) from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives provides agriculture information to all districts in Zambia, improving decision-making and service delivery in the agricultural sector. ZIAMIS includes modules, like the Activity Work Plan Budget Module, Monitoring & Evaluation Module, Matching Grants Module, and Knowledge Management.

The system improves access to e-vouchers, e-extension, insurance, and more for 1.5 million registered farmers in the country. For example, smallholder farmers can register for e-vouchers, and receive inputs from the government or the private sector. Farmer groups can apply for matching grants to support their selected commodity, and be promptly advised on the status of their applications.

Challenges for African e-Government Services

African countries face multiple challenges when implementing e-Government digital services for their citizens in addition to the initial challenge of gathering adequate investment for e-Government services development.

Challenges include low rates of literacy, underdeveloped telecommunication infrastructure, and a lack of commitment from governments for genuine digital transformation and a more transparent and citizen-centric approach. Other challenges include challenges with governance, access to resources, leadership, ICT skills, and digital literacy.

The persistent digital divide across the continent may widen without the adoption of targeted, systematic measures to assist rural and under-served communities.

Despite these challenges, African countries have made progress in implementing e-government services, including automatic fingerprint passport registration, online service portals, and government digital service delivery.