Accelerating digitisation the way to go in new era

One of the most important initiatives that the new government has deliberately sought to accelerate in a bid to make an impact in e-Governance. And the past few years have seen a massive explosion in information technology.

The confluence of electronics and telecommunications has opened vistas of transmission, storage and retrieval of information like never before.

These are increasingly used for decision-making, not only in the corporate world but even in public administration. The increasing population and its massive burden on civic amenities and socioeconomic infrastructure are unimaginable. 

E-Governance now becomes not only a necessity but an integral part of every nation. Having traditionally been confronted with the dual challenges of automating government departments and taking online services to mwananchi, the deliberate effort to adopt e-Governance inspired even the creation of the Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy.

The government’s plan to put at least 80 per cent of its services online will bring more Kenyans, especially the youth, into an online business, learning, entertainment and socialisation. Notably, the government intends to reduce the cost of calls and data. The initiative converges with efforts to boost the creative economy and scale up cultural production and the arts industry. Digitising public processes has now become an essential part of state policy.

E-Governance has moved beyond government departments.; eCitizen, for example, is transforming the way the government works and reinventing people’s participation in democracy. E-Governance provides a platform to integrate solutions and services between Government-to-Citizens (G2C), Government-to-Business (G2B) and Government-to-Government (G2G), empowering all. 

In the Global North, countries have few services that still require personal interaction with a civil servant. In Norway, that comes only during marriage, divorce and, perhaps, real estate purchases.

By digitising operations, governments can more efficiently process claims, applications and licence requests, resulting in higher constituent satisfaction. Even in the private sector, it has an immense role. 

Consumers expect to conduct business online. Paperless processes provide them with on-demand access to applications, information and other services that traditionally require a trip to an establishment.

Automated workflows promote transparency by automatically notifying consumers or seekers of services at every step. Placing information in publicly searchable databases also saves agencies time and money during data requests. With documents stored in the cloud instead of physical files, employees save time making enquiries and updating files. All departments work from the same information. 

However, let’s be on the lookout for cybersecurity threats. More investment should be made in this.

Dr Letting, PhD, is the CEO of Kasneb and secretary of the Kasneb Foundation.