Assessing the Implementation of E-Government in Ghana's
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University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ASSESSING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF E-GOVERNMENT IN GHANA’S PUBLIC SECTOR BY MATHAPOLY-CODJOE ENOCK (10228210) THIS THESIS/DISSERTATION IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY (MPHIL) POLITICAL SCIENCE DEGREE. JULY 2015 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DECLARATION I, MATHAPOLY-CODJOE ENOCK, do here declare that this thesis is the product of my effort, handwork and independent judgement. With the exception of ideas, quotes and opinions from other sources that have being duly acknowledged, the author is fully responsible for any errors that may be identified in this work. …………………………………. …………… MATHAPOLY-CODJOE ENOCK Date (Student, ID: 10228210) ……………………………………. .................... DR. ABDULAI K. MOHAMMED Date (Principal Supervisor) …………………………………. ................... DR. EMMANUEL DEBRAH Date (Co-Supervisor) i University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ABSTRACT E-government is becoming a fundamental reform tool for enhancing public administration especially in developing countries like Ghana where public organisations face resource constraints in their delivery of public services. Although studies have given considerable attention to how E-government helps improve public administration, there still exist few studies which aim at comparing the perspectives of both public servants and end-users. Studies are also limited on the long term sustainability of E-government initiatives and the degree to which public servants and users are both adopting and buying-into E-government initiatives. With the aid of Actor-Network Theory and the concept of New Public Management, this research engages both end-users and public servants and their understanding of E-government as well as their level of awareness. The study also investigates the factors which influence public servants’ and citizen end-users’ use and adoption or otherwise of E- government applications. Further, the study identifies the benefits and challenges associated with the implementation of E-government as well as measures to adopt to ensure the long-term sustainability of E-government projects in the Ghanaian public sector. This study uses the mixed-method research design in analysing and discussing the primary and secondary data which were qualitatively and quantitatively obtained. The method of data collection and analysis allowed the researcher to triangulate and cross verify various responses obtained in the field. The study is also aligned to a case study research strategy which makes use of two Ghanaian public organisations. It was discovered that Government of Ghana is committed with its attempt to digitalize the public sector. And this comes on the back of various initial preparations made prior to the implementation of E-government. There was however some pitfalls in these initial preparation measures and some of these could be mentioned as the non-involvement of ii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh public servants in major decision making as well as inadequate training of bureaucrats. The study also found high rates of awareness and adoption (or acceptance) of E- government projects by both public servants and end-users. The rates of awareness and adoption were however, tilted in the favour of public servants than users. And this was because of the depth of institution knowledge and experiences of bureaucrats in relation to end-users. Further, both public servants and users agreed that E-government offer enormous benefits to the public sector and these factors could as well lead to the transformation of the sector. Some benefits of E-government include increased efficiency of public institutions in the delivery of public services. Other benefit relates to low transaction and administrative costs, reduction in corrupt activities and improved relation of public agencies with the general public. In spite of these benefits, the study also discovered some challenges which debilitate the functioning of various E- government projects in the public sector. Some of these challenges were erratic power supply, high cost involved in running and maintaining these projects and the lack of ICT infrastructure. Some measures were also put forward to ensure the sustainability of these E-government solutions in the sector. For example the involvement of private sectors as well as commitment of political leadership were generally cited. Keywords: E-government; Ghanaian Public Sector, Public Sector Reform, New Public Management iii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DEDICATION I dedicate this whole work to the memory of my late senior brother, Michael Papa Codjoe. I also dedicate this work to my mother, Maame Ekua Anowah and my father Mr. Stephen Codjoe for their support, care, advice and encouragement; especially to my mum, I say ‘Ayekoo’. iv University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My utmost appreciation goes to my principal supervisor, Dr. Abdulai K. Mohammed, for the support, understanding, inspiration and the critical review of this research. I say thank you very much and I am appreciative of your immense contributions. In fact, I am unable to put much words in showing how I appreciate the support and encouragement you gave me throughout my course. To my bride-to-be, Miss Martha Acquah-Swanzy, I thank you for helping me start this whole MPhil program. Even though you were far away in Norway, your encouragement and support was felt as if you were here with me. My dear, I appreciate you and the love you showed me since I met you some ten years ago. To the Head of Political Science Department, Dr. Emmanuel Debrah, who doubles as my Co-Supervisor, I am grateful for your support and encouragement. I am also thankful to all the participants of this study for sharing their opinions and providing valuable information for the completion of this study. I would similarly like to appreciate Prof. Kwame Boafo-Arthur, Prof. Abeku Essuman-Johnson, Dr. Bossman- Asare, Dr. Alidu Siedu, Mr. Kwesi Jonah, Dr. Ansah-Koi, and Dr. Ziblim Barry Iddi for their fatherly advice, mentorship and encouragement throughout my studies. Special thanks go to my parents, Mr. Stephen Codjoe and Madam Ekua Anowah for sponsoring me to undertake this master’s programme and being a great source of encouragement throughout my stay on campus. To my siblings; Anna, Irene, Hannah, and Priscilla, I say a big thank you for the moral support given me. Thanks for being a great family to me. I also want to thank Henrietta, Lucy, Francis, and Charlotte for their support. And to my mates Emmanuel Siaw and Yobi Donald, I say a huge thank you for being there for me right from the start of the program. v University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ............................................................................................................ i ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION .............................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................ 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ................................................................ 1 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM ......................................... 5 1.3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................... 7 1.3.1 Actor-Network Theory (ANT) .................................................................. 8 1.3.1.1 Deployment of ANT in the study..................................................... 12 1.3.2 The concept of New Public Management (NPM) ................................... 13 1.3.2.1 Deployment of NPM concept in the study ....................................... 17 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION .............................................................................. 18 1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ................................................................... 19 1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ............................................................... 19 1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY .............................................................................. 20 vi University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY ............................................................ 20 CHAPTER TWO ......................................................................................................... 22 THE PUBLIC SECTOR OF GHANA AND GHANA’S ICT POLICIES .............. 22 2.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 22 2.1 UNDERSTANDING THE PUBLIC SECTOR AND AN OVERVIEW OF GHANA’S PUBLIC SECTOR ............................................................................ 22 2.1.1