“The National e-Government Strategy 2011-2016 is an important
 contributor to the ongoing development of our country.  For Botswana
 to flourish and prosper in the 21st century, we will need to become
 innovative users of ICT and have a high performing government that
 provides convenient, efficient electronic services to all of our
 citizens.  E-Government can help us to achieve both of these
 objectives, and the 2011-2016 e-Government Strategy provides us with a
 pragmatic roadmap to get there.  I will be a regular user of our
┬áe-Government services.┬á I encourage everyone to join me online.” –
 H.E. the President Lt. General Seretse Khama Ian Khama
 
The e-Government programme lies at the centre of Government efforts to
 modernise its service delivery to meet the information age demands of
 its citizens, while transforming Botswana into a globally competitive
 knowledge based economy. Its rollout is now being accelerated in the
┬ácontext of the recent adoption of the “1 Gov” strategy for moving all appropriate government services online by 2016 for greater quality and convenience.
 
At the heart of the strategy is an understanding that through the
 integration of digital data citizens shall be able to access most
 Government services at any locality, as well as online through mobile
 phones as well as PCs. This will end the absurdity of citizens having
 to travel vast distances, or shuffle between different Ministries and
 Departments, to access basic services.
 
What is e-Government? A textbook explanation is that it is – “The
 delivery of government information and services through Information
┬áand Communications Technology (ICT)”.
 
But the potential of e-Government goes much further. E-Government
 enables governments to connect with their citizens, and perhaps of
 even greater significance its citizens to connect with their
 Government, for 24/7 interface and service delivery. In the process it
 offers greater efficiency and cost savings for government and citizens
 alike.
 
But for e-Government to deliver on its potential there is a need for a
 radical transformation of how Government works and ultimately how
 society relates to Government. This will require the application of
 new ways of thinking as well as new information and communication
 technologies.
 
It is not sufficient to put services online. For those services to
 reach people they must be accessible. And for the effective delivery
 of those services to be sustainable they must rest on a firm
 foundation of strong back office support. To achieve such an outcome
 Government has adopted an e-Government Strategy that is to be
 implemented through five major programmes and key Policies &
 Legislative Framework, namely:
 
1. The e-Services Programme;
2. The Multiple Access Programme;
3. The Rationalisation And Integration Programme; 4. The Be STRONG
 Programme; and 5. Skills Transformation in Support of e-Government
 Programme 6. Policies & Legislative Framework
 
The e-Services Programme or ESP will be implemented by various
 Government agencies working in collaboration with each other and
 non-state actors. ESP will automate processes and continuously
 strengthen the Government Web Portal as the primary service delivery
 channel for public e-Services.  As a key customer management
 programme, it will drive the agenda for ensuring services are
 incrementally added to the Government Portal. Under its m-Gov
 initiative, ESP will also assure service delivery through cellular
 phones and other mobile devices.
 
The Multiple Access Programme or MAP will consolidate ongoing efforts
 to ensure consistent, effective service delivery through multiple
 channels.  The programme consists of activities in four main areas:
 
1. Implementation of a central Government Call Centre; 2. Planning for
 the introduction of Integrated Service Centres across the country; 3.
 Integrating and standardising e-Government service delivery through
 community access points such as the Kitsong Centres and Telecentres;
 and 4. Improving the delivery capacity of ministries.
 
The Rationalisation and Integration Programme or ‘RAIN’ is focused on
┬áimproving the quality of Government’s service infrastructure. The
 programme will include the development of an Enterprise Architecture
 as well the re-engineering of processes and the integration of IT
 systems thereto.
 
The RAIN programme will also develop a long-term strategy for
┬ástrengthening the Government’s data network and organisational
 capacity in IT.  A plan for the rationalisation and clustering of
 common ministry technical applications will be prepared, with the goal
 of reducing duplication and saving ongoing operational costs. The
 development and implementation of a security framework for ICT will
 also be part of RAIN.
 
A national data hub of people and organisations will be established
 together with core applications to support whole of Government
 functions including management information systems, procurement,
 authentication and notification services.
 
Be STRONG is an initiative that will review and redesign the
 governance arrangements required to effectively move the national
 e-Government programme forward over the next five years.  The quality
 of governance is considered pivotal to the overall success of
┬áBotswana’s national e-Government programme.┬á Given its critical role,
 this initiative is led by the Permanent Secretary to the President.
 
The Be STRONG Programme will also address the revision of Maitlamo,
 the National ICT Policy, in order to ensure that it remains relevant
┬áto Botswana’s aspiration to transform into a knowledge society.
 
Skills Transformation in Support of e-Government Programme or ‘STEP’
will be driven by The Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM)
 who, in conjunction with other government and private sector training
 and skills development institutions, will carry out a comprehensive
 review of the skills and training requirements required for the
 Botswana public service to function well in an e-Government
 environment.
 
The enabling Policies and Legislatives Framework will provide enabling
 environment for online service delivery. The initiative entails
 drafting of Data protection law, e-commerce & e-Signature laws, and
 review of other identified pieces of legislation. In addition, the
 initiative will strengthen GDN and Data Centre security and also
 establish a National Computer Emergency response Team (CERT)
 
As outlined above, Botswana’s National e-Government Strategy is an
 ambitious but pragmatic endeavour. Going forward, its success will be
 measured not on the number of projects underway, but by how well the
 initiatives have been implemented and most importantly, by measurable
 service improvements.
 
The strategy, moreover, builds on existing capacity. Botswana has put
 in place the essential platform for the development of e-Government.
We already have an extensive technical infrastructure to support
 e-Government, with more being added every day.  ICT usage across all
 segments of society is increasing, with both citizens and businesses
 demanding that Government provide services online.  The stage is thus
 set. What remains is for Government to work with the broader society
┬áto expedite the delivery of e-Government for Botswana’s transition to
 a knowledge society.
 *The above presentation was made at the recent Public Forum hosted by The Botswana Society and Livingstone Kolobeng College.
