Seoul, Dec. 3, 2014 (NAN) Prof June-Suh Cho, a lecturer with Hunkuk University, South Korea, has called on developing countries to integrate local and state governments into their e-government implementation programme.
According to him doing so will ensure transparency and efficiency in their services.
Cho said this on Wednesday in Seoul while presenting a paper titled “Local e-Government” at a Stakeholders’ Workshop and Instructors Training for capacity development of e-government for Nigerian civil servants.
He said the need to implement e-government at local and state governments had become necessary as it would offer another way of serving citizens better and bring innovation to internal operations.
He added that the use of technology to communicate within local and state governments would make it easier to keep up with what was going on in each department and the system.
“Documents can be distributed and approved electrically rather than printed and reviewed on paper.Communicating electronically enables staff to readily share information that can inform decision making.
“The society is moving toward a more electronic way of life. More and more businesses and citizens are working electronically. it is only a matter of time until they expect the same from local governments.
“When neighbouring government offers electronic services, citizens and businesses will notice and begin asking why their government isn’t doing the same,” he said.
He said local and state governments were governing institutions with authorities over a sub national territorially defined area, their involvement would make them more open, accountable, inclusive and better.
Cho said that most studies about e-government evolution had been tailored to the national level with little information focused on local e-government.
Cho said that was because local governments lacked independent decision making and relied on national government for funding to implement new initiatives.
He said the conflicting goals and priorities of government agencies at different levels had affected the implementation and adoption of local e-government in most developing countries.
He added that limited ICT infrastructure and inadequate power supply in rural areas of most developing countries could be one of the contributing factors.
Cho said that the involvement of e-government would assist in planning, development and implementation of new information technology initiatives in all level of governments.
He said that leadership was imperative in a successful e-government project as they were the people who pulled the initiative together and establish it as a priority.
“The decision makers, users and managers who have a stake in the project can provide the different views that will ensure a system that delivers real benefits,” he said. (NAN)
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