Funding E-Government Projects In Ghana: A Case Study Of The Ghana Electronic Government (GEGOV) Project

ABSTRACT

Governments and citizens have recognized the potential of using the Internet as a delivery channel for public services. However, the evolution of e‐government initiatives poses a myriad of challenges. One of the most overwhelming challenges is identifying and implementing funding strategy for promoting e‐government projects. In view of limited availability of public sector funding and the increased focus on judicious spending of government finances, the search for alternative funding is crucial for most developing countries like Ghana. Ghana‟s ICT Policy identified information communication technology as an indispensable tool for public sector service delivery. Considering the fiscal constraints, the country is deploying e-government infrastructure and systems with stem collaboration with the private sector. However egovernment literature provides little information, specifically to the country e-government PPP funding strategy and lessons for case development. Drawing on the conceptual notions of e-government and public- private partnership tenets, the study employs a qualitative case study method to understand this challenge by selecting the GeGov project. The study used secondary data and semi structured questionnaires to solicit information from the experience of public and private officials. The study explores, describes and explains the factors that influenced the implementation process of the public- private partnership financing strategy between Ministry of Communication and Ghana Community Network Limited. The study provides critical organisational, legal, political, and economic challenges that can serve as referential experience in PPP funding of e-government projects in Ghana and other developing countries. The study found out that going into partnership with disarray and dummy legal regime that governs the PPP sector the government of Ghana was faced with financial xiv problem. The PPP funding model was also characterised by organisational challenges in ensuring speedily disbursement of funds from sponsor, the World Bank, likewise economic factors such as the global economic crisis, inflation and exchange rates affected the project cost and repayment. However, critical success conditions also included competitive tendering process, project base budgeting approach and a good measure of political commitment. The practical implication is that, there is a need for full life cycle project budgeting mechanism. To ensure sustainable project funding legal framework should be stressed as a priority for all public institutions going into financing e-government project. Regarding originality and value, the study has introduced best practice conditions in financing e-government project using the PPP model in Ghana which has received little attention in previous studies.