Government to harmonise its ICT systems to cut duplication

 

By Alex Nelson Malanga

Business journalist

Summary

·         The move will enhance government accountability, efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of delivering public services to all and proactively combat corruption.

Dar es Salaam. The e-Government Technical Committee has resolved to harmonize Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems in public institutions to cut duplication that amounts to misuse of public funds.

The committee’s acting chairperson, Mr Eric Kitali, said the move will enhance government accountability, efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of delivering public services to all and proactively combat corruption.

It is on those grounds that in future, the e-Government Authority (e-GA) institution’s plan on cards is to have a single place where all electronic government systems are available.

 “Every effort will be made to ensure that we come up with strategies that will pave the way for all ICT systems to communicate and exchange information through the main system---Government Enterprise Service Bus (GovESB),” said Mr Kitali, who is also the ICT director in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government).

Speaking in their meeting held in Dodoma, he said the committee was there to offer advice to the government that could boost the performance of the E-Government in service delivery.

He urged the committee’s members to offer meaningful advice when it came to ICT with a view to ensuring a robust e-government that will bring tangible fruits.

“If this committee enables ICT systems in the public institutions to communicate, it will save financial resources,” asserted Mr Kitali.

The committee’s secretary, Mr Sylvani Shayo, said their functions are, among others, to go through the e-government policy that will be implemented by the public institutions.

Thereafter, he added, they could be in a position to give their constructive recommendations.

“We also have a responsibility to review and give recommendations on national e-government projects and programs,” said Mr Shayo, who is also the e-GA director for compliance and security management.

The committee, he added, was also responsible for issuing technical guidelines in addressing conflicts in the course of the implementation of the mega ICT projects in the public institutions. The committee’s members are the ICT heads from ministries and various government institutions.

It is chaired by Mr Priscus Kiwango from the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance).