BTC saves govt USD14.3m bill

Written by Administrator | 08 May 2012

The Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) decided to use its own finances for a component of the Nteletsa project, thereby enabling the government to divert about USD14.3 million to boost the long awaited e-government programme.

According to the 2012/13 budgetary estimates passed by Parliament, BTC used its own resources for a sub-project of Nteletsa I, under which 197 villages were provided with telecommunications services beginning in 1999.

With government having also budgeted the same funds under the Ministry of Transport and Communications' Telecommunications Development purse, BTC's move enabled the transfer of the P100 million towards the e-government project. Figures contained in the estimates suggest the P100 million boost will be utilised within the 2012/13 financial year that begins on April 1. A note accompanying the estimates stresses the importance government has attached to development of ICT facilities, specifically the e-government project.

"It is imperative that in order to alleviate poverty, facilitate employment creation and increase economic growth and diversification, the ministry improves services delivered to the public by updating and upgrading the current ICT infrastructure with the latest technology and appropriate systems," the note reads.

According to government's 2011-2016 strategy, the e-government project will involve "moving all government services online, significantly improving public sector service delivery and speeding up ICT usage in the country".

It is envisaged that Botswana will be able to access more than 300 services through the government portal, with the delivery focused on clients' needs rather than government structure. Services will include applying for visas, replacement birth certificates, requesting building permits, applying for patents or trademarks as well as vehicle licensing, company registration and requests for moving livestock. Other services include applications for a wide range of pensions, grants and benefits as well as payment of bills and taxes.

In addition, the programme involves the establishment of self-serve e-government kiosks in large shopping malls, the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport and major borders for access to online government services.

An "any door is the right door" philosophy will also be introduced under which government will "aggressively push ahead" with Kitsong, Sesigo and Telecentre initiatives.

The centres, which should number 150 countrywide by 2016, will provide users with multiple accesses to computer terminals and kiosks, as well as associated e-government and ICT services. Besides these, the strategy involves a skills transformation component under which the Directorate of Public Service Management will comprehensively review the skills and training requirements that will be required for the public service to function well under e-government.

According to the strategy, the e-government programme will be built on the existing Government Data Network (GDN), a 21-year old ICT platform that currently houses all government services such as revenue and payment systems. "Due to the passage of time and continuous upgrades, modifications and maintenance, the overall performance and reliability of the network is not meeting today's needs and expectations of most government and citizen users," reads the strategy. "Currently, the GDN is slow and unreliable and not adequately supporting the aggressive e-government programme that we wish to introduce. It will need to be extensively upgraded over the course of the next decade."

Source: www.biztechafrica.com