Times Of Swaziland: EMBRACING A TECH-EVOLVING GOVT EMBRACING A TECH-EVOLVING GOVT ================================================================================ By Nathi Gule on 22/06/2019 08:41:00 It is quite interesting, perhaps even exciting, to note how the current government is looking at embracing more technology in its bid to deliver better to the people. This is great news if you are not a technophobe. A technophobe is a person who fears, dislikes, or avoids new technology. Actually, most of the time they dislike any form of technology. digital For digital systems to work effectively though, you need to have less technophobes especially on the user end. And most critically you need a fairly good internet system. Not sure how our internet ranks compared to other nations but there are enough indications from public comments that there is room for improvement. My personal internet service is as inconsistent as a want-away lover. Some days it is superfast and other days simply not there. But all things being equal, a government that embraces technology should result in better service provision. A study by Deloitte Insights states, “Five things can help public sector leaders make digital transformation happen: Strategy, leadership, workforce development, user focus, and culture.” Eswatini launched its e-government platform about two years ago. Despite being a curious person, I know very little about this e-government. I tried to get some information online but sadly some links were not opening on my laptop. It could be my internet or simply broken links. departments Nonetheless, the long lines we still see at some government departments also attest that the awareness about it is also wanting. Only four years later have I learnt of something called *468# to help track your passport or national ID rather than travel and stand in long lines only to be told sorry it is not ready yet. Perhaps that’s just me though. Excuse me. I missed the memo. My personal experiences with the old way of being serviced by non-digital or non-technological government systems can take up the rest of this newspaper, yet I only have a half page to express my views. Just last week trying to renew a passport meant me literally being a resident at the different departments as on one day the payment system was down and the next day, when it was up the line resembled that of a supermarket with a massive sale on a payday. Sadly, the queue seemed not to move and I had not brought a self-help book to keep me company. I can never read enough self-help books. After all if you can’t help yourself who will? Anyway I eventually paid and submitted my documents and was told to punch that *468# number. Other government ministries have been announcing how they are turning to online platforms for their services. Such interventions, therefore could not have come any sooner. One other ministry embracing this is the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Trade, where through using the online platform, has cut down the stress of moving up and down to register a company to just one day by turning to online platforms. It has also been announced that now we can apply for government scholarships online. These are all great wins we need to embrace. One tech expert notes that when implemented well, e-government can reduce the cost of delivering government and public services, and ensure better contact with citizens – especially in remote or less densely populated areas. It can also contribute to greater transparency and accountability in public decisions, stimulate the emergence of local e-cultures, and strengthen systems. feature In the feature ‘digital government is not working in the developing world here’s why’ the expert goes on to argue; “In developing countries, demand for e-services is lacking, both inside and outside the government. External demand from citizens is often silenced by popular cynicism about the public sector, and by inadequate channels for communicating demand. As a result, public sector leaders feel too little pressure from citizens for change.” What I like about this feature which reminds me of argumentative composition in high school, is that the writer looks at both sides of the coin and then offers a possible solution and conclusion. “Effective strategies for addressing the problem of e-government in developing countries should combine technical infrastructure with social, organisational and policy change.