Ethiopia plans to commence e-governance service delivery

Ethiopia is planning to launch e-governance service delivery in the next six months. As many as 150 governments’ services will be offering online services, according to Innovation and Technology Minister, which is cited by Fana Broadcasting Corporate report on Friday.

The ministry added that it is holding talks with relevant bodies on e-government service delivery.

The Decision is informed by the need to provide fast service delivery to citizens and the plan is to apply it in the areas of all government services.

According to FBC, six government departments including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia are already offering electronics service delivery.

Government structures including at Kebele level, which is in the bottom of government administrative structure, will be offering services electronically. 

“We are planning to offer consistent and uninterrupted services, and take services to citizens rather than requiring citizens to come to services,”  Getahun Mekuria, Minister for Innovation and Technology is cited as saying.

Incomplete infrastructure is cited as a challenge to the plan but the minister said that the government is working on accessibility of better speed internet service in all regions.

How realistic government plan is under the circumstance of a persistent power shortage which completed the government to ration electricity is remains a question. As well, well over 70 percent of Ethiopia’s 105 million populations live in the rural areas practicing small and subsistent farming, and there are still places that are not connected via road transport. On the flip side, it means that the majority of the Ethiopian population is no computer literate.

If the plan was to be successful, it might have a negative impact on the existing workforce in the public service as a structural adjustment might be needed.

Borkena