Maghreb countries are following the lead of other nations throughout the world by working towards making government transactions online. Benefits of electronic government include saving time, money and resources.
"If they want to reach the public, they have to improve their online content," she added.
Tunisia has the most advanced e-government in the Maghreb, though the technology mostly benefits the educated elite. As systems become more affordable, user-friendly and accessible, rural residents may benefit by being spared trips to major cities.
A three-year plan is under way to lay down an internal network to link ministries and standardise their online correspondence and document exchanges.
The Tunisian government has signed a partnership agreement with Microsoft aimed at supporting the public and private sectors in developing information technology.
Citizens and businesses will eventually have the capability to access 1,100 services including human resources, tracking public expenditures in the national budget and conducting civil affairs using an online management network encompassing 257 municipalities.
According to the Tunisian Internet Agency, the number of internet users is increasing exponentially. The number of e-mail users has multiplied nearly 300 times from 111 in 1996 to 114,589 in October 2004.
One success story is the e-dinar website for virtual currency in Tunisia, which was introduced by the Tunisian post office to shop online. It lets customers pay online in a secure and easy way. It is designed to be up-to-date as to the requirements of the digital economy and the electronic administration.
In addition, Tunisia is still looking to expand its internet network from its current five technology centres, which bring together 40 technology firms.
Faced with calls by NGOs to close the gap between urban and rural areas, the government has decided to annually fund 50 associations that spread online literacy. The government has also promised to abolish subscription fees for fixed-telephone networks and the online network by 2009.
Despite incentives and media campaigns in Tunisia to encourage citizens to go online for government and private transactions, most Tunisians hesitate to use the services.
"Many professionals, regardless of their social levels, still prefer direct interactions and do not have a lot of trust in this type of service," Selwa Ghazwani, a Tunisian banker, told Magharebia. "We must wait years for confidence to increase," he added.
Problems with electronic transaction tools, such as cash cards, make some Tunisians reluctant to use new technology.
"I often hear about errors caused by the withdrawal machines and often the cost is high while waiting to fix the mistake," Tunis bank customer Nour Addin Mahmoudi told Magharebia.
In Morocco, an online government also appears to be moving forward.
The nation has more than 200 teleservices aimed at individuals and businesses, as well as a national portal to promote e-government.
Morocco has set up an electronic administration committee attached to the prime minister to set up a secure virtual gateway for the public.
In April 2006, Morocco started the www.maroc.ma national portal to promote the country and provide practical information in Arabic and French about more than 700 of the most-frequently used administrative procedures through its public service component at www.service-public.ma.
The e-government committee is also involved in two projects to boost the national strategy for electronic administration.
The first is the 2007 introduction of the national secure biometric identity card. This new card will replace the birth certificate, residency cards and national identification cards.
Another major project is the spread of information technology throughout the education system.
The "Genius" programme, which has a budget of 100,000 dirhams, represents the largest order for information technology equipment in Morocco's history. The education minister aims to equip more than 8,604 schools with 100,000 computers over three years. The first batch of computers is benefiting 3,000 schools this school year.
Government departments have put several electronic services online, including those of the Moroccan Office for Industrial and Commercial Ownership, the Finance Ministry and the Justice Ministry.
In August 2006, the Ministry for General and Economic Affairs asked for companies to come forward with proposals to improve Morocco's e-government.
To stimulate a competitive spirit among public organisations in Morocco, the Ministry for Modernisation in the Public Sector has been running a competition called "e-mtiaz" for innovative electronic administration projects.
The prize for this year's competition was won by the Urban Commune of Fez for its system of issuing birth certificates electronically, which was achieved in partnership with Al Akhawayn University.
In Algeria, e-government is in the hands of an "e-commission" created in April 2004.
This commission, which is made up of ministries and local communities, sees itself as key to reforming the telecommunications sector.
The commission's objectives include conducting a survey on the use of information technology in Algeria, a comparative analysis of the use of information technology worldwide and the adoption of a legal and regulatory framework. The analyses will be conducted by ten information technology experts.
Information and Communication Technologies Minister Boudjemaa Haichour says Algeria's e-government will help the development of public services and businesses and improve internal management and citizen relations.
Algeria also has a "PC for every family" programme, thanks to bank loans repayable over 12, 24 or 36 months.
One of the first e-commission recommendations to be implemented is establishment of an intranet to exchange secure information.
The number of Algerian businesses with websites is still relatively small. But the online system offers substantial advantages for organising data, managing personnel, suppliers and customers.
E-government in the Maghreb has a long way to go, according to Zawaydeh.
"There are human resources issues," says Zawaydeh. "People who already work at government offices will have to train to do other jobs [requiring the use of computers]."
"In the Maghreb, e-government is still in its early stages. Hopefully, in years to come, it will be better. There are still a lot of departments that need to co-ordinate," she says, adding, "Once e-government becomes more efficient, it will save people time."
Autor(en)/Author(s): Jamel Arfaoui
Quelle/Source: Magharebia, 10.11.2006
