Insights
Governments Going Digital – E-Governance
Posted March 7, 2016 in Articles
E-Governance aims to make governments more efficient and accessible by transforming the way government services are delivered to businesses and citizens. More specifically, the World Bank defines the term “E-Government” as “the use by government agencies of information technologies (such as Wide Area Networks, the Internet, and mobile computing) that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government.”
According to the World Bank, adopting an E-Governance model that effectively implements emerging Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can generate many key benefits for government, citizens and businesses, including:
- Improved communications between government, business enterprises and citizens
- Enhanced delivery of government services
- Increased access to information
- Empowerment of citizens
- More efficient government management
The World Bank’s E-Government Practice
The E-Government Practice at the Global Information & Technologies (ICT) Department leads the World Bank’s e-Transform Initiative. The objective of the initiative is to provide government leaders with access to the worldwide expertise, advanced technologies, processes, and financial resources necessary for “designing and implementing transformative projects in developing countries.” The World Bank’s E-Government website highlights several projects aimed at promoting and developing E-Governance and ICT services taking place in a number of different countries around the world, including the following:
- Tunisia Information and Communication Technologies Sector Development Project
- Mongolia - Information and Communications Infrastructure Development Project
- Ghana - eGhana Project
- Rwanda - eRwanda Project
- OECS E-Government for Regional Integration Program (Dominica, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are participating countries)
India’s E-Governance Program – The Digital India Programme
In 2014 the Government of India launched an ambitious program to transform the nation into a “digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.” The initiative, known as“Digital India,” aims to change the way public services are delivered by developing a national optical fiber network to connect rural and underprivileged citizens with India’s thousands of village-level governments (“gram panchayats”).
India’s Department of Electronics and Information Technology assisted with the creation of the Digital India program and is now working to leverage the Indian talent and ICT to develop the digital infrastructure necessary to achieve India’s E-governance goals. Digital India is centered on three core vision areas:
- 1. Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen
- 2. Governance and Services on Demand
- 3. Digital Empowerment of Citizens
According to a recent article in the Economic Times, Ravi Shankar Prasad, India’s Communication and IT Minister, expects that Digital India will be a $1 trillion business opportunity. Prasad further explained that Digital India “is designed to bridge the digital divide and empower citizens, more particularly the poor and deprived, to seek new opportunities in their lives.”
If you have questions about the Digital India initiative or would like to learn more about executing and implementing E-Governance projects, the global network of consultants at Mithras Investments, LLC can provide you with the advice and information you are looking for. Contact us today.
