GOVERNANCE OUT OF A BOX ICT4STATE-BUILDING – AFRICAN EXPERIENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES GOVERNANCE OUT OF A BOX ICT4STATE-BUILDING – AFRICAN EXPERIENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES Edited by Suvi Tuominen and Stephen Lyabandi Crisis Management Initiative October 2009, Helsinki ABOUT CMI The Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) focuses on issues critical to creat- GOVERNANCE OUT OF A BOX ing sustainable peace and security, and making strategic contributions to CMI’s Governance out of the Box initiative concentrates on identifying new the capacity of local, regional and international actors operating in war- innovative tools for the effective implementation of priority functions of torn and conflict-ridden societies through preventive diplomacy, peace- state administration in post-conflict countries. The aim of the initiative is mediation and state-building. to build up a standard, but scalable and flexible, toolkit for national gov- ernments and international actors operating in post-conflict situations. CMI The Governance out of the Box tools will combine quickly deployable • Promotes sustainable security in a pioneering way; communications infrastructure, collaboration tools and software applica- • Brings together actors to seek solutions to security challenges; tions; that are developed jointly with national stakeholders and with key international reconstruction and ICT experts. The criteria for best practice • Engages in capacity building among the international community in- tools will be further defined through field-testing. The priority functions conflict prevention, resolution and transformation; for the initial toolkit have been selected based on international policy dia- • Advocates solutions for security; logue regarding the priorities and sequencing in state-building. • Uses comprehensive approaches that bind together security and devel- Under this initiative CMI has launched in 2008, together with the Li- opment, good governance, justice and reconciliation. berian Government, the design process for a mobile-based technological solution for a birth register in Liberia, which provides the first phase in the Governance out of a Box toolkit for state-building. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CMI wants especially to acknowledge the German Government for their financial support in making publication of this report possible. CMI would also like to acknowledge the Knowledge Consulting Ltd. Uganda as well as Gorfu Asefa and Stephen Lyabandi for their outstanding contribution to this study. 4 GOVERNANCE OUT OF A Box GOVERNANCE OUT OF A Box 5 FOREWORD The use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is becoming more and more These three different ICT-related studies were conducted within the framework of the commonplace around the world and the spread of mobile phones, computers and the inter- Crisis Management Initiative’s (CMI) Governance out of the Box initiative. This initiative con- net even to the remotest places of the world is evident. In addition to their intrinsic value, centrates on identifying new innovative tools, building on new technologies, for the effective the value of using ICT as a means to achieve more significant development related goals, implementation of priority functions of state administration in post-conflict countries. The has been widely recognized. In a post-conflict context the use of ICT is a means of enabling aim of the initiative is to build up a standard, but scalable and flexible, toolkit for national effective and sustainable state-building. governments and international actors operating in post-conflict situations. This study is Modern conflicts are often rooted in ineffective and exclusive governance. This high- part of this toolkit and provides an example of using ICT for different state-building purpos- lights the importance of post-war state-building; in order to avoid a slip back into a cycle of es. The reports concerning Uganda conflict and violence, it is important to strengthen not only the immediate capacity of the and Rwanda were compiled by state but also the enduring relationship between the state and its society. If done right and Knowledge Consulting Ltd. Uganda. Using ICT in state-building projects can at addressed early on, reviving key functions of civil administration can contribute to the es- The Ethiopian case study was writ- best contribute to the improvement of over- tablishment of an effective and transparent state that serves its citizens and is able to create ten by Gorfu Asefa. CMI would like all governance. With the help of ICT, trans- a mutually enforcing relationship with its society. This in turn contributes not only to the to acknowledge these researchers parency improves and usually leads to the immediate post-war reconstruction phase but it also provides a basis for long-term develop- for their outstanding contribution ment and, most importantly, for sustainable peace. to this study. better delivery of services to citizens. This report provides insight into the use of ICT in state-building in the context of three Like with any state-building African post-conflict countries: Rwanda, Uganda and Ethiopia. In Uganda ICT is being used project, planning ICT-enabled proj- to improve the population registration system. In Rwanda ICT is being used to enable cus- ects in post-conflict countries should first and foremost closely scrutinize the country con- tomers to pay utility bills using mobile scratch cards. This may not be the traditional ex- text. The recommendations of these three studies should always be considered from this ample of a state-building exercise but it provides a useful and innovative example of the standpoint. However, it is still possible to draw some useful conclusions and lessons learned state-building functions that can be done via a semi-autonomous public utility company. In that could be helpful for other post-conflict countries. Ethiopia ICT is utilized in the country’s Court Reform. Before the introduction and implementation of ICT projects it is essential to create an en- abling environment, both at a mental and a purely technical level. This means overcoming any negative attitudes and feelings of resistance people might have towards ICT in general, as well as creating policies that support these ICT-enabled projects. Also, ownership of the government in concern is very important. In Uganda the latter was done by the creation of a Ministry of ICT that coordinates the national use of ICT for the development of the country. The inclusion of the public sector ICT architecture also helps to create synergies between projects and to avoid fragmentation. An enabling environment was fostered by the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics, an institution closely linked to population registration, by the creation of clear and focused policy and policy objectives, combined with active high-level support and commitment. These actions proved to be very helpful when evaluating the success fac- tors of the Ugandan project. The creation of an enabling environment requires making sure that not only are there enough resources available, but that these resources are sustainable. The cost of purchasing and maintaining ICT equipment in a challenging environment is high. It is important for the government in question not to face the challenge of introducing and implementing ICT alone. It is essential to draw on donor resources and to collaborate with other institutions. Governments should also consider setting aside funding in national budgets that are specif- ically tied to improving efficiencies through the use of ICT. Donors, on their side, must make sure that the funding is adequate enough to ensure not only the start-up phase, but also the 6 GOVERNANCE OUT OF A Box GOVERNANCE OUT OF A Box 7 completion of these projects. Flexibility and a long-term point of view are certainly needed. in a more reliable fashion. With the registration of voters, the experience has not been as The Ugandan population registration project faced several problems concerning coor- successful. In regards to the Ethiopian court reform the use of ICT contributed significantly dination. This was because there were several agencies involved in population registration to better governance; courts are now more transparent for clients, accessing and using court with overlapping mandates, leading to the unnecessary use of resources and a lack of effec- services has become simpler and clearer to customers, not to mention the time and money tiveness. There were also multiple laws and regulations that empowered different entities to saved in their travel costs. capture the same population data. Even with an enabling environment, the implementation Overall sustainability is needed for ICT-enabled projects to be truly successful. This of ICT related state-building projects can go wrong if there is no holistic approach. The key can be done by: creating an enabling environment, making sure that there are enough re- to a holistic approach is coordination in and between all of the different levels of state and sources, keeping in mind the importance of a holistic approach, investing in human capital society, from the legal level to the institutional level. It is extremely important to make sure and utilizing local knowledge. If all of these steps are taken, the sustainability of a project that there is no unnecessary duplication of should be secure. Sustainability is also needed in order to make sure that the best practices ICT can be used to rebuild struc- activities or procedures whether this relates are shared. For