The bank has provided over US$424 million in loans to African governments for the project in a bid to compel them to get the project off the ground. The Kenyan government becomes the third country in the East African region after Rwanda and Burundi to start rolling out the project.
Elsewhere on the continent, Mauritius and Burundi have already implemented e-governance projects after receiving more than $164 million from the bank.
The e-governance project will result in the creation of national digital centers in public administration, designed to give citizens an opportunity to directly communicate with public institutions. The program has also been designed to generate growth and employment by leveraging information and communication technology (ICT) to accelerate development projects.
The centers will provide services via the Internet, fax machines, digital and cameras in various parts of the countries. The World Bank views the project as an important step in ending corruption by public institution in the region, especially in the procurement process and awarding of IT supply contracts funded by the bank.
"The bank should also punish countries whose officials are known to be involved in corruption by way of discontinuing funding to the telecom sector," said Amos Kalunga, a telecom analyst from the Computer Society of Zambia. Kalunga said however, that the implementation of the e-governance project in Africa is sure to reduce corruption as bidding process and awarding of contracts will be done transparently.
The World Bank announced its e-governance project fund in 2007 following calls by various governments in the region requesting funding from the bank for telecom infrastructure. The World Bank is the largest funder of ICT developments in Africa. But since 2007, the African ICT sector has been marred with corruption allegations about the way contracts are awarded and how incumbent operators are being sold to bidders.
Last year, Siemens lost a bid for the World Bank funded communication projects after corruption allegations arose regarding the company's acquisition of supply contracts in Nigeria and Libya. The German company is alleged to have paid more than $100 million in bribes to officials in Nigeria and Libya in order to get supply contracts forcing the Nigerian government to cancel the contract. The company is also alleged to have paid bribes to government officials in Egypt and Cameroon, among many other African countries.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Michael Malakata
Quelle/Source: Computerworld Zambia, 16.12.2010
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