Designing e-Government for the Poor - Tanzania Development ...

PREFACE
Preface
In recent years, the countries of the Asian and Pacific region have
increasingly adopted e-government. E-government can be defined as the
transformation of public-sector internal and external relationships through
use of information and communication technology (ICT). E-government for
the poor means that an e-government strategy and related policies must be
aimed at bridging the digital divide, the uneven distribution and use of ICT
between the poor and the rich. E-government is a tool to achieve better
governance and enhance economic development.
Many nations have developed an e-government strategy, and are
rapidly expanding the use and knowledge of ICT by establishing online
public services and digital collaboration between government ministries.
However, successful implementation of e-government remains a challenge.
It requires a fundamental transformation of traditional government organization,
rebuilding of the infrastructure; and tremendous financial and human
resources. Sustainability of e-government programmes requires policies,
legislation, and a legal framework conducive to reorganizing the government
and its services to the citizens.
The Regional Workshop on Designing E-government for the Poor
assisted the participants to gain a better understanding of e-government, and
build capacity for the planning and implementing e-government for the poor.
The Workshop was intended to assist the participants in defining priorities
and specific actions for progressing to e-government. The Workshop highlighted
the potential of e-government and ICT to improve access for the poor
to information and government services, and foster economic growth.
Countries were able to share their experiences in the implementation of
e-government; and discuss issues, and options for implementation. Some of
the topics addressed at this Workshop included: e-government programmes
for the poor; re-engineering internal processes of government/public administration;
factors critical to the successful implementation of e-government
including e-training of government officials; stakeholder participation in
e-government projects; building community and government leadership; and
security and privacy issues in e-government. Participants were required to
submit a proposal for implementing e-government in their countries, which
could potentially be implemented.
The Regional Workshop on Designing E-Government for the Poor
was organized by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), and the
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(ESCAP). The organizers would like to thank the Government of Japan, the
Republic of Korea, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the private
sector including International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and
Microsoft for co-sponsoring this Workshop. iii