University of Derby Faculty of Business, Law and Computing PhD Racious Moilamashi Moatshe E-government Implementation and Adoption: The Case Study of Botswana Government Thesis Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 1st Supervisor Prof: Nikos Antonopoulos 2nd Supervisor Prof: Keith Horton October 2014 © Racious Moilamashi Moatshe, University of Derby 2014, All rights reserved 1 ABSTRACT The advancements in the ICT and internet technologies challenge governments to engage in the electronic transformation of public services and information provision to citizens. The capability to reach citizens in the physical world via e-government platform and render a citizen-centric public sector has increasingly become vital. Thus, spending more resources to promote and ensure that all members of society are included in the entire spectrum of information society and more actively access government online is a critical aspect in establishing a successful e-government project. Every e-government programme requires a clear idea of the proposed benefits to citizens, the challenges to overcome and the level of institutional reform that has to take place for e- government to be a success in a given context. E- government strategy is fundamental to transforming and modernising the public sector through identification of key influential elements or strategy factors and ways of interacting with citizens. It is therefore apparent that governments must first understand variables that influence citizens’ adoption of e-government in order to take them into account when developing and delivering services online. Botswana has recently embarked on e-government implementation initiatives that started with the e-readiness assessment conducted in 2004, followed by enactment of the National ICT policy of 2007 and the approval of the e-government strategy approved in 2012 for dedicated implementation in the 2014 financial year. Significant developments have taken place around national and international connectivity including initiatives that offer connectivity to citizens such as the I- partnership, community run Nteletsa projects, post office run tele-centres and Sesigo projects that have been deployed on a wider Botswana. In spite of these remarkable initiatives there is no change management strategy in place and evidence to suggest that citizens cluster groups, government employees, key influential citizens’ stakeholders and other local government administrative governing structures at district levels have been appropriately informed, consulted, engaged and participated in the design, development and implementation initiatives. This position has contributed largely to low e-readiness indices for Botswana, low PC, Internet and broadband penetration levels, which do not commensurate with levels of connectivity initiatives already in place and operational. The strategy development, which is the viability business plan for the entire project has been initiated and concluded without the appropriate input of citizens, employees and local government structures at the districts. Considering that that e-government is new and narrowly researched in Botswana. There is non existing research on both the impact of strategy factors to e- government implementation success and citizens’ involvement and participation in the e-government design and implementation through to adoption and continual use. This study therefore explores and investigates empirically the key e-government strategy influential success elements and the how citizens’ involvement and participation in e-government development can be secured, supported and facilitated towards adoption and continual future use. This culminates in the proposal of both 2 theoretically supported and empirically validated e-government strategy framework and citizen centric conceptual model. The study is crucial as it aims understand how can influences upon success in e-government project be better understood and citizens’ stakeholder adoption of e-government enhanced to facilitate successful development of e-government in Botswana and is also timely as it comes at the time when Botswana has not yet implemented her e-government strategy, hence factors identified are critical to both strategy re-alignment and design of the citizens’ involvement and participation change management strategy to support both implementation and citizens’ adoption of e-government in Botswana. The study utilises the mixed methods research, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods to address the research question and triangulated data collection approaches used to select survey sample for two questionnaire sets carried on opinion holders within government and non government structures and ordinary citizens, use of observations on operating tele-centres, interviews with key e-government strategic stakeholders and document analysis which included e- government policies and related documentations as well as extensive review of e- government published literature including applied implementation and citizens adoption experiences of developing and developed countries. In the analysis of data the multiple regression analysis has been utilised and multivariate analysis performed to ensure linearity, normality and collinearity. The linear regression has been used to test the hypothesis through the Analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. Keywords E-government, strategy critical success factors, key influential elements, citizen centric conceptual model, strategy framework, Botswana. 3 Dedication Firstly I thank and dedicate this work to God, the Holy, Righteous and Glorious Father in Heaven through our Lord Jesus Christ. Truly the grace of God enabled me to reach the end mark. Then, to my inspiring, supportive and selfless wife Gofa, my two sons Adrian Boago and Elisha Racious-JR. and two daughters: Katso Nicole and Melissa Gabriella. The four I hope they will be inspired to achieve better in life (Above all to remain closer to God in all things). 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I returned and saw under the sun that: - the race is not to the swift; nor the battle to the strong; nor bread to the wise; nor riches to men of understanding; nor favour to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all (Ecclesiastes 9:11). I thank God for the grace and perseverance throughout the PhD journey, without God I wouldn’t have made it to the end. My special thanks and sincere gratitude goes to my Director of Studies Prof. Nikos Antonopoulos, a technically adequate and proficient researcher and my supervisor Prof. Keith Horton, a well balanced researcher and great professional of high intellect (including e-government expert knowledge). The constructive comments and feed back from both professors have been phenomenal, considering that they took over at the end of the last 13 months of my studies. I will not forget my sponsors: Botswana government and Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST). To the Botswana government officials across ministries, departments, functions; e-government project team, government, parastatal bodies, business sector and private institutions’ employees and representatives as well as Batswana (citizens) in general who participated respectively in the survey questionnaires, interviews, and the conducted observations, I remain grateful for the support that immensely provided both primary and secondary research data evidence. I want to thank my wife particularly for endless moral support during my study for well maintaining my children allowing me time to focus on my study. To Mum and the rest of the family I appreciate the confidence you had in me throughout the study. I can not forget some of my in-laws for the excitement they expressed regarding my study. I would like to thank Lighthouse Chapel International Church (Derby), the resident Pastor (Rev) Marvin Appiah and fellow Christians for their prayers and fellowship. The church has been a source of comfort and blessing, and the peace of God enabled me to triumph over circumstances I would otherwise not been able to overcome. It is also through the church that I gained deeper knowledge and relationship with God. I thank God for the special grace upon the entire Lighthouse Chapel International network of churches and good work to win souls worldwide. My gratitude also goes to all my dear friends, brothers and sisters, who supported me throughout my study, especially during the long period of extensive data collection in Botswana towards the end of 2011. I greatly value the phenomenal support offered and I pray God Almighty to favour you all. To Brigadier Gaborone, Marea and rest I shall so remain humbled by your selfless support. I have a father who knew me before I was formed and ordained me what I am and shall become, He knows my every move and sees each tear that drops, He calls me his very own, He never leaves nor forsake me, when my world shatters and everyone’s hope in me fades He sees me in a good light and gives me a shoulder to lean on. In my fall, He raises me up and carries me in His right hand. Under His wings and pavilion I am treasured. I thank God for my life and PhD journey. 5 Biography and List of Publications Racious is a PhD researcher at the University of Derby Investigating E-government Implementation and Adoption in the context of Botswana a developing country. He is a graduate of Masters Degree in Strategic Management (UK), Bachelor of Accountancy Degree (UB) and both Diploma in Accounting and Business